The Cellar

by Katherine Lo

Her mother drowning in grief and depression. Her father, brother, and friends hundreds of miles away. Starting her senior year at a brand new school. Nothing is turning out the way 17-year-old Julia McKinley thought it would when she left New York with her mother to move into an old house in Virginia.

Her one refuge is the cellar. But her safe haven isn’t entirely her own. Sounds that don’t make sense in a bare room, a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision—something or someone is down there with her. What Julia encounters will not only test the boundaries of time, but also challenge her understanding of what it means to love someone and go on living after great loss.

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Katherine Lo’s poetry has appeared in Rattle, Alaska Quarterly Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Calyx, Poet Lore, Tahoma Literary Review, Spillway, and other journals. It has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A 29-year veteran of teaching high school English, she is also author of the Kirkus star-reviewed YA novel The Cellar and lives in Southern California.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with a protagonist that young adults can relate to. An excellent premise!

[Alison L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not at all what I was expecting - in a good way! Such a fun read. It did end a bit abruptly, but the important thing was resolved. (I would like a sequel to find out how the mom is and if Derek came to NYU).

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved The Cellar

I love historical fiction, and I am fascinated with time travel, though I have read very few time travel books that are well written. Though this is a young reader, I am an old reader who enjoyed this story tremendously. Well done, Katherine Lo!

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read, very cute story