Review by Booklist Review
Valeria (who goes by V) is an aspiring artist who is neurodivergent but prefers to consider herself "neurospicy." After a strenuous falling out with her best friend and art teacher who heckled her, V's parents give her a change of scenery via a summer with the prim Grandma Jojo, who disapproves of anything bizarre. At Jojo's house, supernatural things begin to occur, which Jojo pretends she knows nothing about. Upon meeting the girl who has haunted the house for years, the charismatic ghost convinces V to help prank Jojo to get revenge. Feeling that the antics have escalated, V must navigate what her relationship is with the ghost and understand how pain and trauma have trickled down her family line to her and her beloved older cousin. From the author of Good Different (2023), Kuyatt's newest novel, written in verse, segues into the history and stigma of people being institutionalized for their differences. Young readers will approve of the need for families to seek therapy and other calming techniques to help loved ones.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--6--"Neurospicy" V (don't call her Valeria because that sounds too close to malaria) usually spends just a week at her grandmother Jojo's perfect house, where following the stifling rules is never easy. This year, V is trapped for the whole summer because Mom insists V needs "a change of scenery" after what happened at school. "You two are more alike/ than you might think," Mom encourages. When V discovers a resident girl ghost, their otherworldly mischief is initially (sorta) harmless fun until long-hidden secrets emerge to threaten the living family's safety. Fixx, who is also autistic, narrates Kuyatt's novel-in-verse with empathic nuance, perceptively capturing the exhaustion of "masking." Fixx embodies V's struggles, her admiration for her vibrant cousin Cat, and her uncertainty as the ghost grows increasingly unpredictable. Jojo gets a higher, stiffer voice, while Cat is infused with vivid warmth. VERDICT Fixx expertly, convincingly enlivens the living and the (un)dead.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A middle schooler discovers haunting secrets in her grandmother's house. Valeria isn't looking forward to spending the summer at Grandma Jojo's house, where "nothing can be not fine"--including V herself. Jojo dismisses V's autism and forbids her from seeing her college art major cousin Cat, whom Jojo raised and who displays erratic behavior. As if Jojo's criticism and Cat's cryptic remark about their family's history of "kicking out people / who are different" weren't troubling enough, V begins hearing whispers in the walls that echo the self-doubts planted by her best friend's rejection and her art teacher's belittling of her style. The voice, V discovers, belongs to the mischievous ghost of a girl. At first, joining the girl's pranks on Jojo is great fun--and the girl suggests that if V pulls off something "extreme," Jojo will be mad enough to send her home. But the more V investigates the secrets she finds behind hidden doors--paintings, a photo labeledOur Broken Doll, a journal--the less friendly the ghost becomes. Is V in danger from her? Through V's reflective, perceptive free-verse narration and the well-drawn secondary characters, Kuyatt skillfully and compassionately explores complex topics, including self-expression, generational trauma, the dangers of suppressing emotions, and the power of words to shape self-esteem. The emotional toll of masking--endeavoring to appear neurotypical--is especially vividly conveyed. Most characters read white. An insightful, tense tale of family and (self) acceptance. (author's note)(Verse paranormal. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
