The Haunting of Bellington cottage by Laura Parnum

Title: The Haunting of Bellington Cottage

Series: n/a
Author: Laura Parnum
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Middle Grade; Paranormal; Horror
Publisher/Publication Date: Storytide; July 29, 2025

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the author of Peril at Price Manor comes a new spooky and bighearted stand-alone novel about two girls trying to figure out if they’re still friends who discover their vacation rental home is haunted.

It was the perfect winter break getaway . . . until the ghost showed up.

The last time Iris's and Violet’s families went on a trip together, the girls turned their rental home into an epic haunted house—and Iris has brought all her spookiest supplies to the cottage they’re calling home for the next week, ready to re-create the magic they’d shared. But in the years since, Vee (don’t call her Violet) has become closed off and short-tempered and wants nothing to do with anyone, especially not her mom’s new boyfriend.

Vee’s bad mood feels inescapable in the cottage. And soon strange things are happening that make it seem like the house itself is angry, too—doors are slamming, rooms that were perfectly neat a second ago are suddenly a disaster, and Iris hears pacing footsteps long after everyone’s gone to sleep. Iris and Vee soon discover that the cottage has a secret history and that there’s no need to stage a haunted house after all . . . because they’re already in one.

Middle Grade horror is a subgenre I’ve read periodically for a few years now, and there are plenty of novels to keep avid readers—especially those with a penchant for spookier tales—entertained. For example: Katherine Arden’s game/challenge themed series, Small Spaces; Give Me Something Good to Eat by D.W. Gillespie’s which was Stranger Things meets Hocus Pocus; and It Came From the Trees by Ally Russll that had an outdoorsy main character and cryptids. And now, with Laura Parnum’s latest, the subgenre has a new entry with The Haunting of Bellington Cottage.

The Haunting of Bellington Cottage was enjoyable and had many hallmarks of middle grade horror. The wintery scenery was the perfect backdrop for an isolated haunting. And the cottage’s storied history was detailed and provided material for the paranormal aspect to find its footing. This was also a story about friendship and change, and Parnum crafted a narrative which dealt with it in a way that the target audience would likely find relatable. After all, the story interrogated its themes through Iris’ character arc, notably with her struggle for connection in friendships she once felt secure in, which—when combined with the novel’s eerie atmosphere—resulted in a harrowing tale that will appeal to many readers.

About the author....

Laura Parnum is the author of the middle grade novel Peril at Price Manor. She writes stories that blend humor and heart with a touch of horror. When she’s not writing, she’s editing other people’s stories and helping out at local elementary school libraries. She currently serves as Co-Regional Advisor for the Eastern Pennsylvania region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura lives with her family in Philadelphia. They have a turtle that bites and a snake that doesn’t.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Storytide) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

July Hiatus

 

I wanted to drop by the blog for a minute and mention my break. I'll largely be absent this month (except for a review that's scheduled to go up later in July). 

Music Monday (319): Emotional Oranges & Jaehyun, Chapel Hart, Tetrarch

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I recently came across this music duo called Emotional Oranges. One of my favorite songs (from their 2025 album, Orenjii) is Call it Off featuring Jaehyun.

Adri: I'm still enjoying Tetrarch's Ugly Side of Me; so for today, my pick is Headspace.

Andrea: Hi all, this week I'm listening to If You Ain't Wearin' Boots by Chapel Hart. Have an Amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

Short Stories I Read In May

It’s the twenty-ninth of June. So it’s time to write about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in May.

Yarn Theory by Marie Vibbert (Clarkesworld Magazine; Issue 224—May 2025)

I started the month with Yarn Theory by Marie Vibbert. This was a story about math, first contact, and knitting. At first glance, it seemed like a random assortment of things tossed together, but Vibbert’s story is quiet but interesting —and spent a good chunk of it with the character’s internal monologue. And I found the solution (the decoding/translation) of the alien message a fun take on first contact. I almost wish it had been longer than it was, just because I liked it so much.

Commonplace by Naomi Novik (Buried Deep and Other Stories)

Then I moved on to Buried Deep and Other Stories. This one was called Commonplace, Novik’s take on Irene Adler, a character from Sherlock Holmes. The story takes place when news of the famous detective’s apparent death has reached Irene Adler, and basically follows her complicated emotions and subsequent actions in response to what happened, during a period of her life that I would describe as relatively quiet. While not my favorite story of the collection, Commonplace was still pretty good, and I mostly appreciated it for Novik’s choice to center the narrative on Adler instead of any other character from the Sherlock Holmes canon.

Seven by Naomi Novik (Buried Deep and Other Stories)

I also read a second story from Buried Deep and Other Stories in May. This one was called: Seven. The beginning read like a love letter to a fictional city, explaining part of its history, as well as where, like the place, the story took its name. But, it was mostly about pottery/ceramics; the process of creation, the cost/toll of art, the way a master’s work can influence those who come after them—or someone could (or at least wanted to) carve their own path. I like stories about art. And I like stories that are about artists. And Seven is a little bit of both, with its focus, Kath, even if the story is largely told from Grovin’s perspective. Kath was one of my favorite parts of this one, and I liked how she happened into “clay-shaping” in the wake of a drastic change in not only her life but for her children as well. And though the story was from Grovin’s perspective, it was about Kath in the end, how her artistry and reluctant participation in the city’s longstanding tradition of statue making—with a particular and dangerous clay— disrupted his assumptions and forced him to change his ways (or at least to view the situation from someone else’s perspective). Seven was a great story.

What I've Been Watching (May 2025)

May was a month where I spent most of my viewing time rewatching some of my favorite movies.

Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal

These are two movies I often associate with each other. Not just because they feature puppetry work by The Jim Henson Company, but also because I typically watch them back-to-back whenever I see them on—which has recently been on Roku’s free channels (since that’s the TV I have). Labyrinth is a coming of age narrative, while The Dark Crystal lands more in the chosen one territory with a story centered on resisting and undertaking a quest to reclaim a dying land before it’s too late. I love these movies equally.

Jaws

Jaws is still one of my all-time favorite man vs creature films. It’s a classic, and the cinematography and acting are part of what makes the movie so memorable. I’ve seen it a handful of times, and even during my latest viewing, I found myself dissecting certain scenes (and admiring the way it was shot).

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

This movie has a special place in my heart. For starters, it’s fun and kind of silly. But, because of how much I liked it, it ended up being the whole reason why I read the book and most of the sequels. Also, the opening musical number is still, to this day, incredibly catchy.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

After reading the novel, I was itching to rewatch the 2005 movie adaptation. I have a new appreciation for this film. It does cut out some of the scenes from the book, which is often true for most adaptations. However, it captures the essence of the book—like the tone, time and place, as well as the personalities of the characters.

Contact (1997)

Whenever first-contact stories are mentioned, I usually think of two films: E.T., and Contact. After a number of years, I finally watched this movie again last month, and it holds up pretty well. I like this one, generally, for the characters and its approach to tried and true staples of the genre, while putting a spin on it. And, like Jaws, I also appreciated Contact for the style of its filming.

 

So, that was just about all the movies that kept me entertained in May. What have you been watching lately?