Haunting of Falcon House

"The story is both simple—a ghost story—and as complex as the country it rises from, offering glimpses of Russia's unique and brutal history . . . and its exploration of the role of art as a vehicle for liberation. . . . Eerie and effective."

"The novel’s 56 mini-chapters are interspersed with beguiling ink sketches of everything from star-soaked skies and stark graves to pitchforks and dozing kittens. The narrative itself . . . is by turns wide-eyed, inquisitive, and earnest. This is a haunting at its very best."

“Yelchin (Arcady's Goal) sets his imaginative, layered mystery--prefaced by a tongue-in-cheek opening note on the story's purported origins--in late-19th-century Saint Petersburg. . . . Offbeat, smudged sketches play a peculiar yet effective counterpoint to the evocative language, and helpful historical notes are included.”

“Readers will enjoy the budding friendship, and the ghost story/mystery is compelling. . . . A unique historical mystery from a celebrated children’s writer and illustrator; a great option for classroom discussion and a jumping-off point for further exploration of Russian history."

"Two survivors of Stalinist oppression attempt to form a family in this companion to the 2012 Newbery Honor-winning Breaking Stalin's Nose . . . An uplifting, believable ending makes this companion lighter - but no less affecting - than its laurelled predecessor.”

"Mr. Yelchin has compressed into two days of events an entire epoch, giving young readers a glimpse of the precariousness of life in a capricious yet ever-watchful totalitarian state.”