Hey there readers,

Hope you’ve been having a great year so far in reading. There’s just 9 more days to the next grad school semester, so I’m trying to spend plenty of personal time leisure reading. On that note, I finished reading another book!

This time I read Took by Mary Downing Hahn.

I’ve had this on my TBR for quite some time and I hadn’t read a middle grade book in a minute, so I figured why not?

Alrighty, let’s get on with the review!

Blurb

“Folks say Old Auntie takes a girl and keeps her fifty years—then lets her go and takes another one.”

Thirteen-year-old Daniel Anderson doesn’t believe Brody Mason’s crazy stories about the ghost witch who lives up on Brewster’s Hill with Bloody Bones, her man-eating razorback hog. He figures Brody’s probably just trying to scare him since he’s the new kid . . . a “stuck-up snot” from Connecticut. But Daniel’s seven-year-old sister Erica has become more and more withdrawn, talking to her lookalike doll. When she disappears into the woods one day, he knows something is terribly wrong. Did the witch strike? Has Erica been “took”?

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

As a first time reader of this author, I was pretty happy with this book.

Took is a creepy middle grade novel that focuses on a family moving to a rural town. Daniel and Erica hate that their lives have been uprooted by their parents. They try to make the most of it, but the creepy nearby woods and mean townsfolk soon have the family fighting amongst each other. To make matters worse, Erica goes missing one night and can’t be found. Can Daniel find her, and does this have anything to do with the scary old woman he saw in the woods?

I really loved the theme of this novel. Creepy woods, a rural town with mean people, cold winter nights. It’s a perfect setup for something spooky. It had a dark fairy tale vibe to it that I just love.

Daniel and Erica were fun to follow along. They both have trouble fitting in at their new school, and I think any middle schooler or adult can appreciate the struggle. The bickering between Erica and Daniel felt real to me, and once things get going Daniel has to learn to be brave or risk losing his sister forever.

I also liked the characters Old Auntie and her descendant Mrs. Perkins. I would’ve liked to delve a bit more into the magic element to understand it better, but for a middle grade read I think the coverage of it was passable.

The plot was pretty simple and easy to follow, and the writing really smooth as well. While this may not have been the most surprising creepy read, it was a solid and very enjoyable experience.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

Join My ARC Review Team | Subscribe

 Facebook | GoodReads | Bookbub | Tumblr | Instagram