Keep in a Cold, Dark Place Review

Title: Keep in a Cold, Dark Place | Author: Michael F. Stewart | Publisher: The Publishing House | Pub. Date: 2017-5-18 | Pages: 219 | ISBN13: 9780993757938 | Genre: Children’s Horror | Language: English | Triggers: None | Rating: 4 out of 5 | Source: Received a copy from Netgalley for review consideration.

Keep in a Cold, Dark Place

Reaching for her dream, Limpy unleashes a cute, fluffy, NIGHTMARE …

Keep in a cold, dark place. That’s what’s written like some ancient law on every bag of potatoes the family farms. And it’s where Limpy fears she will always remain.

It’s also carved on a box of spheres she discovers in the cellar. Spheres that hatch.

Cute at first, the creatures begin to grow. Then the chickens disappear. The cat is hunted. And something sets the barn ablaze. To survive, Limpy will need to face her greatest fear. The whole family will. Or they may end up in a cold, dark place indeed. – Goodreads

Keep in a Cold, Dark Place Review

Adult fans of the movie(s) Gremlins will find something to smile at within the pages of Keep in a Cold, Dark Place. Michael Stewart takes the furry to fury fuzzballs we all knew and loved, and twists their story just a bit to make it suitable for middle-grade fiction. Coos, cackles, and hijinks ensue when a young girl discovers something in family’s cellar that will have a permanent impact on everyone’s lives.

Taking place on a small potato farm in a small, podunk town with a Great Depression air about it, Keep In a Cold, Dark place crosses a few genre lines. Limphetta – Limpy – is only in 8th grade, but she’s no stranger to hard work and reaching for dreams that don’t seem achievable. From the calluses on her hands to the clothes that never fit her just right, to the family that seems to hold her very birth against her, she’s someone to instantly feel for. She’s the poor kid in every class that gets teased mercilessly for things beyond her control. She’s the dreamer all the teachers hope to see succeed.

Keep in a Cold, Dark Place is ultimately a story about facing your fears. Limpy’s story is a classic one, where you can change out almost any particular element and still get the same message.  Because it is middle-grade fiction, you know everything is going to turn out okay. There’s a certain comfort to that. I’m someone who loves to watch the world burn in my books, but occasionally a bit of “warm’n’fuzzy” is welcome.

A quick, easy read that will satiate the monstrous yearnings of your middle-grade reader, Keep in a Cold, Dark Place is worth picking up. The cover is cute and fitting. The story will appeal to both kids and adults. Michael Stewart knows how to stitch together a tale.