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Little Monsters
For the first printing only! This hardcover features stenciled sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.
In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.
Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.
Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.
Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.
In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.
Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.
Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.
Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.
Audible Audio
First published August 18, 2026
About the author
Máire Roche
3 books100 followersMáire Roche is a former teacher who now writes fantasy for all ages.
When she's not writing, Máire enjoys exploring new coffee shops, hiking, and teaching martial arts.
She also writes thrillers and contemporary romance as Mary E. Roach, where her recent & upcoming titles include Better Left Buried, Seven for a Secret, and We Are the Match.
When she's not writing, Máire enjoys exploring new coffee shops, hiking, and teaching martial arts.
She also writes thrillers and contemporary romance as Mary E. Roach, where her recent & upcoming titles include Better Left Buried, Seven for a Secret, and We Are the Match.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 19, 2026
A cute fun story about family, friends, monsters, and a bit of mystery.
I really enjoyed this one. It was cute and I loved the found family and friendships between all the characters.
If you love a little spookiness, young adult drama, found family, and some Halloween mystery then check this one out!
A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster and the author for a gifted copy!
I really enjoyed this one. It was cute and I loved the found family and friendships between all the characters.
If you love a little spookiness, young adult drama, found family, and some Halloween mystery then check this one out!
A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster and the author for a gifted copy!
August 17, 2026
ARC compliments of Libro.fm
A sweet story about accepting yourself and accepting love and help from others, wrapped up in a paranormal Little Women mystery.
A sweet story about accepting yourself and accepting love and help from others, wrapped up in a paranormal Little Women mystery.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Spooky season is coming, and there is a new Little Women re-telling to thrill or chill your bookshelf.
Máire Roche’s coming-of-age novel, resets the story in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, near Halloween, and with a magical twist. The March sisters have a secret, and they can’t trust anyone. Their bodies are changing; they are becoming Little Monsters . Literally.
In a creative allegorical play on the adolescent horrors of puberty—a transformational stage that evokes big emotions, and feeling (or behaving) ‘monstrous’—each of Roche’s March sisters experience unique individual manifestations. Jo is a werewolf. Beth sprouts wings. Amy becomes a sea creature in salt water. And Meg grows long claws and fangs.
People expect to see strange things in Salem, especially around Halloween. But when a new monster begins prowling around the neighborhood, Meg is worried that someone will think it is her, and John Brooke “Brooks”, the new boy next door, is paying too close attention to Meg for her comfort.
To match this novel’s intended middle grade audience, the March sisters are a few years younger than in Alcott’s original story. Meg, the eldest, is turning fourteen years old, and is Roche’s main character. She is self-conscious and anxious that her secret will be discovered; that someone will find out that she and her sisters are even more different than they are already known to be.
In this version, the March sisters are foster children in Marmee’s care, framing Meg’s motherliness and maturity as the oldest sister within a modern psychological rational that updates nineteenth century assumptions as to women’s natural motherhood role-playing, which OG Meg exemplifies. The March sisters haven’t had a stable home—other than each other— and Meg feels responsible for keeping her siblings safe and together. Adverse experience has taught her that she has to provide for their needs all on her own, and that it is dangerous to let any outsider too close.
The novel’s fantastical magical-realism reminded me of other recent YA alternative historical fiction/fantasy literature, such as the Lady Janies series (HarperTeen), but striking an altogether different tone. Rather than humorous rebellion, Meg is driven by anxiety-fueled independence. Although the characters do track the monster, and there is some off-page gore and violence, the horror is light and not overly scary. Nonetheless, the suspense quickened my heart rate and kept me turning the pages.
I admit, personally,—as an adult reader—I felt slightly uneasy with the novel’s equation of adolescent girls with monsters or as monstrous, especially in a book intended for young readers going through puberty. The comparison is only tacitly made, but it is implicitly and repeatedly emphasized. This was not an overwhelming reservation, and I may be an outlier among reviewers in this respect, but questions as to the message this metaphor sends, and the authentic feelings and artificial cultural tropes the comparison confirms crossed my mind more than once whilst reading; I wondered about it. It is, or course, evocative and intended in fun. Meg’s concluding realization that what she thought was monstrous was actually magical individual difference tempers this message, and is rather the point. She learns lessons in both self-acceptance and in managing emotions. But this didn’t come about until the story’s very end.
I wished Meg’s impressions about her perceived monstrous qualities had been resisted by other characters sooner. While this pacing heightens Meg’s anxiety and her perceived isolation and aloneness in her difference and her responsibilities to her sisters, the final lessons could have been introduced and reaffirmed gradually by degrees throughout the novel, rather than in a quick concluding wrap up. This would would have helped, too, with the plot’s repetitiveness. That said, young readers will be drawn in by both the plot and action, and the characters’ anxieties are relatable.
Likewise, while I appreciated what Roche was getting at in the text’s allusions to how, in places like Salem, women, girls— and other people with differences— were seen as outside conventional society and called witches, etc, I don’t know how much young readers will pick up on those historical and cultural references (as they are presented) without some additional outside contextual discussion. Various storytelling components didn’t quite come together for me; between the adolescent transformations, the magic, figuring the adult characters into the magic, the allusions to Little Women and history, and references to “seam cities,” the text was a little disjointed and didn’t cohere these concepts as strongly as I’d like, particularly for a young reader, who isn’t coming to the book with an adult’s cultural knowledge to put the pieces together. But the novel’s overall message, embracing individual difference as special and empowering, is easily taken away. We’re all unique, and maybe a little bit unusual, too; this is not something to fear.
For readers who are interested in this novel as a Little Women re-telling, figuring Meg as the main character (rather than as part of a quartet ensemble), does alter the sister dynamic from Little Women . Jo, Beth, and Amy become supporting side characters in Meg’s story; present, but not equally prominent as the plural title Little Monsters would suggest. This does not make her story uninteresting, but in this, and other ways, this novel feels like it could have been its own original story, without borrowing on Little Women ’s literary prestige as an iconic feminine coming-of-age story. The appeal to Alcott’s classic seems perhaps to be more for the benefit of adult readers, parents, teachers—and the author— rather than the target middle grade reading audience, who likely have little, if any, reference for Alcott’s story. This novel has its own plot, and could have easily stood on its own original merits. (Although, I do hope that young readers may be lead to Alcott’s work when they are ready for it!)
What carries through from Little Women , beyond the characters—besides the March sisters and Marmee, other characters include Mr. Laurence, gender-fluid Laurie, the Gardiner and the Moffat families, and Mrs. Hummel and Mr. Bhaer in altered forms—is the story’s core value: nurturing individual empowerment within caring togetherness. Like Little Women , Little Monsters is a coming-of-age novel about adolescents learning to accept their authentic self (and one another) within a supportive community. This is what I enjoyed most about the novel: the community that surrounds Meg, and the valuable lessons she learns in asking for help and not hiding her true self.
The novel is worth picking up, especially as the Halloween season approaches.
The hardcover edition has starry sprayed edges on a midnight purple backdrop, which is limited to the first printing, an embossed cover, and atmospherically illustrated chapter pages for a whimsically spooky vibe.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a complimentary advanced copy.
Máire Roche’s coming-of-age novel, resets the story in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, near Halloween, and with a magical twist. The March sisters have a secret, and they can’t trust anyone. Their bodies are changing; they are becoming Little Monsters . Literally.
In a creative allegorical play on the adolescent horrors of puberty—a transformational stage that evokes big emotions, and feeling (or behaving) ‘monstrous’—each of Roche’s March sisters experience unique individual manifestations. Jo is a werewolf. Beth sprouts wings. Amy becomes a sea creature in salt water. And Meg grows long claws and fangs.
People expect to see strange things in Salem, especially around Halloween. But when a new monster begins prowling around the neighborhood, Meg is worried that someone will think it is her, and John Brooke “Brooks”, the new boy next door, is paying too close attention to Meg for her comfort.
To match this novel’s intended middle grade audience, the March sisters are a few years younger than in Alcott’s original story. Meg, the eldest, is turning fourteen years old, and is Roche’s main character. She is self-conscious and anxious that her secret will be discovered; that someone will find out that she and her sisters are even more different than they are already known to be.
In this version, the March sisters are foster children in Marmee’s care, framing Meg’s motherliness and maturity as the oldest sister within a modern psychological rational that updates nineteenth century assumptions as to women’s natural motherhood role-playing, which OG Meg exemplifies. The March sisters haven’t had a stable home—other than each other— and Meg feels responsible for keeping her siblings safe and together. Adverse experience has taught her that she has to provide for their needs all on her own, and that it is dangerous to let any outsider too close.
The novel’s fantastical magical-realism reminded me of other recent YA alternative historical fiction/fantasy literature, such as the Lady Janies series (HarperTeen), but striking an altogether different tone. Rather than humorous rebellion, Meg is driven by anxiety-fueled independence. Although the characters do track the monster, and there is some off-page gore and violence, the horror is light and not overly scary. Nonetheless, the suspense quickened my heart rate and kept me turning the pages.
I admit, personally,—as an adult reader—I felt slightly uneasy with the novel’s equation of adolescent girls with monsters or as monstrous, especially in a book intended for young readers going through puberty. The comparison is only tacitly made, but it is implicitly and repeatedly emphasized. This was not an overwhelming reservation, and I may be an outlier among reviewers in this respect, but questions as to the message this metaphor sends, and the authentic feelings and artificial cultural tropes the comparison confirms crossed my mind more than once whilst reading; I wondered about it. It is, or course, evocative and intended in fun. Meg’s concluding realization that what she thought was monstrous was actually magical individual difference tempers this message, and is rather the point. She learns lessons in both self-acceptance and in managing emotions. But this didn’t come about until the story’s very end.
I wished Meg’s impressions about her perceived monstrous qualities had been resisted by other characters sooner. While this pacing heightens Meg’s anxiety and her perceived isolation and aloneness in her difference and her responsibilities to her sisters, the final lessons could have been introduced and reaffirmed gradually by degrees throughout the novel, rather than in a quick concluding wrap up. This would would have helped, too, with the plot’s repetitiveness. That said, young readers will be drawn in by both the plot and action, and the characters’ anxieties are relatable.
Likewise, while I appreciated what Roche was getting at in the text’s allusions to how, in places like Salem, women, girls— and other people with differences— were seen as outside conventional society and called witches, etc, I don’t know how much young readers will pick up on those historical and cultural references (as they are presented) without some additional outside contextual discussion. Various storytelling components didn’t quite come together for me; between the adolescent transformations, the magic, figuring the adult characters into the magic, the allusions to Little Women and history, and references to “seam cities,” the text was a little disjointed and didn’t cohere these concepts as strongly as I’d like, particularly for a young reader, who isn’t coming to the book with an adult’s cultural knowledge to put the pieces together. But the novel’s overall message, embracing individual difference as special and empowering, is easily taken away. We’re all unique, and maybe a little bit unusual, too; this is not something to fear.
For readers who are interested in this novel as a Little Women re-telling, figuring Meg as the main character (rather than as part of a quartet ensemble), does alter the sister dynamic from Little Women . Jo, Beth, and Amy become supporting side characters in Meg’s story; present, but not equally prominent as the plural title Little Monsters would suggest. This does not make her story uninteresting, but in this, and other ways, this novel feels like it could have been its own original story, without borrowing on Little Women ’s literary prestige as an iconic feminine coming-of-age story. The appeal to Alcott’s classic seems perhaps to be more for the benefit of adult readers, parents, teachers—and the author— rather than the target middle grade reading audience, who likely have little, if any, reference for Alcott’s story. This novel has its own plot, and could have easily stood on its own original merits. (Although, I do hope that young readers may be lead to Alcott’s work when they are ready for it!)
What carries through from Little Women , beyond the characters—besides the March sisters and Marmee, other characters include Mr. Laurence, gender-fluid Laurie, the Gardiner and the Moffat families, and Mrs. Hummel and Mr. Bhaer in altered forms—is the story’s core value: nurturing individual empowerment within caring togetherness. Like Little Women , Little Monsters is a coming-of-age novel about adolescents learning to accept their authentic self (and one another) within a supportive community. This is what I enjoyed most about the novel: the community that surrounds Meg, and the valuable lessons she learns in asking for help and not hiding her true self.
The novel is worth picking up, especially as the Halloween season approaches.
The hardcover edition has starry sprayed edges on a midnight purple backdrop, which is limited to the first printing, an embossed cover, and atmospherically illustrated chapter pages for a whimsically spooky vibe.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a complimentary advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Honestly, stick any Little Women retelling in front of me and I'm gonna read it. Ofc, it helps that this one has a super interesting modern twist too. Some of the changes from the original had me wondering whether this really needed to be tacked onto the LW framework but overall this was a compelling story about sisterhood, emotional health and the burden of responsibility, with cryptids thrown in for good measure!
The four original March sisters are still here but in this story they're foster children being looked after by the sensible but two-job-juggling foster mom they call Marmee. Meg is fourteen and terrified of being split up from her sisters, who need her not only because they're young girls in an often uncaring foster system but because they all have weird, monstrous traits that could get them all shunned or worse. Meg herself has claws and teeth that pop out at the most inopportune moments, usually in times of stress or heightened emotion. Which, given that she's a teenager who's taken on the burden of looking after three younger kids and who up till now has been doing whatever she can to please a rotating case of foster parents, is unfortunately often.
When Meg starts waking up covered in dirt with her claws and teeth out, whether in bed or in the forest outside of her Salem, Massachusetts home, she begins to worry. She's always known she's a sleepwalker, but could she now be doing much worse without being aware of it? Her anxieties worsen when she hears about the rumors of nearby attacks on livestock and property damage by some weird, strange beast that the townsfolk are becoming more and more determined to capture.
Adding to her stress is the impending Halloween holiday: her sisters want new costumes and she doesn't want Marmee to think that they're being a burden by asking. So she's doing her best to come up with the money herself by taking on odd jobs, including for Mr Laurence, their kindly next door neighbor. The arrival of Mr Laurence's young ward Brooks, however, throws a wrench into Meg's plans to focus on taking care of her sisters. Not only is Brooks handsome and sweet, he also sees her in a way that no one else really has before. But Meg's number one priority has to be taking care of her sisters... doesn't it?
As an eldest daughter myself, I felt for poor Meg so hard. My own situation was never as bad, but I totally understood how difficult it was for her to start believing in other people outside of her sisters, to let go of her hypervigilance and to actually allow herself to want something that was just for herself for a change. And honestly, having Meg be the focus in this retelling is a genuine breath of fresh air. As a character/archetype, she's usually discounted for wanting conventional happiness. Why should that make her somehow less interesting or less deserving of both attention and happiness? Why is it not a triumph that she gets the guy she loves, and the pretty dresses that she wants to wear? She's still smart and compassionate and brave and responsible. It's okay that she doesn't have bigger ambitions than building a happy family, especially after all she goes through even to have that (and honestly, it's tiresome when people think that good parenting is somehow "easy." It is objectively not!)
I also loved the mystery in this book, and how it was sleuthed through and resolved. Some of the stuff was a little abrupt -- like, I still want to know more about Brooks' mom, among other things -- but overall it was a very satisfying Middle Grade read that touched on a lot of the horrors of adolescence, with a deliciously spine-tingling urban fantasy twist. Also and importantly to me, Beth .
Little Monsters by Máire Roche will be published tomorrow August 18 2026 by Aladdin and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
This review originally appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
The four original March sisters are still here but in this story they're foster children being looked after by the sensible but two-job-juggling foster mom they call Marmee. Meg is fourteen and terrified of being split up from her sisters, who need her not only because they're young girls in an often uncaring foster system but because they all have weird, monstrous traits that could get them all shunned or worse. Meg herself has claws and teeth that pop out at the most inopportune moments, usually in times of stress or heightened emotion. Which, given that she's a teenager who's taken on the burden of looking after three younger kids and who up till now has been doing whatever she can to please a rotating case of foster parents, is unfortunately often.
When Meg starts waking up covered in dirt with her claws and teeth out, whether in bed or in the forest outside of her Salem, Massachusetts home, she begins to worry. She's always known she's a sleepwalker, but could she now be doing much worse without being aware of it? Her anxieties worsen when she hears about the rumors of nearby attacks on livestock and property damage by some weird, strange beast that the townsfolk are becoming more and more determined to capture.
Adding to her stress is the impending Halloween holiday: her sisters want new costumes and she doesn't want Marmee to think that they're being a burden by asking. So she's doing her best to come up with the money herself by taking on odd jobs, including for Mr Laurence, their kindly next door neighbor. The arrival of Mr Laurence's young ward Brooks, however, throws a wrench into Meg's plans to focus on taking care of her sisters. Not only is Brooks handsome and sweet, he also sees her in a way that no one else really has before. But Meg's number one priority has to be taking care of her sisters... doesn't it?
As an eldest daughter myself, I felt for poor Meg so hard. My own situation was never as bad, but I totally understood how difficult it was for her to start believing in other people outside of her sisters, to let go of her hypervigilance and to actually allow herself to want something that was just for herself for a change. And honestly, having Meg be the focus in this retelling is a genuine breath of fresh air. As a character/archetype, she's usually discounted for wanting conventional happiness. Why should that make her somehow less interesting or less deserving of both attention and happiness? Why is it not a triumph that she gets the guy she loves, and the pretty dresses that she wants to wear? She's still smart and compassionate and brave and responsible. It's okay that she doesn't have bigger ambitions than building a happy family, especially after all she goes through even to have that (and honestly, it's tiresome when people think that good parenting is somehow "easy." It is objectively not!)
I also loved the mystery in this book, and how it was sleuthed through and resolved. Some of the stuff was a little abrupt -- like, I still want to know more about Brooks' mom, among other things -- but overall it was a very satisfying Middle Grade read that touched on a lot of the horrors of adolescence, with a deliciously spine-tingling urban fantasy twist. Also and importantly to me, Beth .
Little Monsters by Máire Roche will be published tomorrow August 18 2026 by Aladdin and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
This review originally appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
ARC provided by the publisher
Meg March lives with her three sisters in Salem, Massachusetts, where they are cared for by foster mother, Marmee. They have had a lot of placements, all in Salem, but they have never worked out particularly well. It doesn't help that Meg o manifests sharp teeth and long claws when stressed, Jo becomes covered in fur, Amy is part mermaid and struggles with issues when she gets near seawater, and young Beth has bat wings. As Halloween approaches, Meg wants to fulfill her sister's wishes for costumes, even though this means caring for chickens for Mr. Laurence next door. His grandson, Laurie, lives with him, and is Jo's best friend, and a young John Brooke, whose parents can't care for him, lives there as well. Brooks (as he is known) sees Meg with her sharp teeth when they run into each other in the woods by their houses, but doesn't doesn't bother her about it. Meg is fortunate to have a very caring friend in Sally, who is always supportive, but is frequently bullied by the well-to-do Annie and her brother Ned Moffat. There is an animal on the loose in Salem who is eating chickens and destroying property, and Meg starts to worry that she is the one doing these things when she wakes up covered in dirt, with no memory of being outside. With security cameras all around town, she's concerned that there are videos of her transforming into a monster. She even breaks into Annie's house to try to retrieve footage, and finds that Annie might not be treated very well. Occasionally, Meg does things she isn't supposed to do, like staying out late, but Marmee never gets upset; she tries to support Meg, even helping her save favorite breakfast foods that her sisters usually take. Meg doesn't understand why Marmee is so supportive, and still feels that it is her job to provide for her sisters and take care of them. Brooks is also always on Meg's side, and helps her out frequently. Meg does go to the public library to research monsters in Salem after hearing that there are more monsters around than one would suspect, but still feels it is important to hide her true self. When the monster attacks result in Ned being hospitalized, the townspeople gather pitchforks and torches to go after the monster. Meg finds out surprising information about Marmee, and doesn't know quite whom to trust. Is hiding her true self and never asking help the best way for her to live her life as a monster?
Strengths: Meg doesn't get much coverage in the original book, so it is interesting to see life from her perspective, especially since we also see her future husband, John Brooke. This uses the original characters well, tweaking essential information about them just slightly. For example, we see Ms. Hummel show up as a school teacher. Having the girls in foster care makes Meg's role as the oldest sister more important, and watching her try so hard to mother her sisters is heart warming. The fact that Meg doesn't want to ask for help is a big facet of this book, right up there with the fact that she is trying to hide her true self. Both of these themes are on trend both in middle grade literature and also in social emotional learning practices. This isn't really a scary book, since we only hear about the antics of the "monster" after the fact, so this is more of a book about personal identity and relationships, which makes it truer to the original.
Weaknesses: I'm afraid that populating this story with Little Women characters will lose more middle grade readers than it will gain. While I'm not sure exactly where the original story was set, I always imagined it was Concord rather than Salem, but that could just be my own assumptions.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like allegorical fantasy books like Lucas' The Vanished Ones , Haydu's The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene, Leavitt's The Garden Just Beyond. or Savaryn's The Edge of In Between. I just don't have the readers for this type of fantasy book at my library.
Meg March lives with her three sisters in Salem, Massachusetts, where they are cared for by foster mother, Marmee. They have had a lot of placements, all in Salem, but they have never worked out particularly well. It doesn't help that Meg o manifests sharp teeth and long claws when stressed, Jo becomes covered in fur, Amy is part mermaid and struggles with issues when she gets near seawater, and young Beth has bat wings. As Halloween approaches, Meg wants to fulfill her sister's wishes for costumes, even though this means caring for chickens for Mr. Laurence next door. His grandson, Laurie, lives with him, and is Jo's best friend, and a young John Brooke, whose parents can't care for him, lives there as well. Brooks (as he is known) sees Meg with her sharp teeth when they run into each other in the woods by their houses, but doesn't doesn't bother her about it. Meg is fortunate to have a very caring friend in Sally, who is always supportive, but is frequently bullied by the well-to-do Annie and her brother Ned Moffat. There is an animal on the loose in Salem who is eating chickens and destroying property, and Meg starts to worry that she is the one doing these things when she wakes up covered in dirt, with no memory of being outside. With security cameras all around town, she's concerned that there are videos of her transforming into a monster. She even breaks into Annie's house to try to retrieve footage, and finds that Annie might not be treated very well. Occasionally, Meg does things she isn't supposed to do, like staying out late, but Marmee never gets upset; she tries to support Meg, even helping her save favorite breakfast foods that her sisters usually take. Meg doesn't understand why Marmee is so supportive, and still feels that it is her job to provide for her sisters and take care of them. Brooks is also always on Meg's side, and helps her out frequently. Meg does go to the public library to research monsters in Salem after hearing that there are more monsters around than one would suspect, but still feels it is important to hide her true self. When the monster attacks result in Ned being hospitalized, the townspeople gather pitchforks and torches to go after the monster. Meg finds out surprising information about Marmee, and doesn't know quite whom to trust. Is hiding her true self and never asking help the best way for her to live her life as a monster?
Strengths: Meg doesn't get much coverage in the original book, so it is interesting to see life from her perspective, especially since we also see her future husband, John Brooke. This uses the original characters well, tweaking essential information about them just slightly. For example, we see Ms. Hummel show up as a school teacher. Having the girls in foster care makes Meg's role as the oldest sister more important, and watching her try so hard to mother her sisters is heart warming. The fact that Meg doesn't want to ask for help is a big facet of this book, right up there with the fact that she is trying to hide her true self. Both of these themes are on trend both in middle grade literature and also in social emotional learning practices. This isn't really a scary book, since we only hear about the antics of the "monster" after the fact, so this is more of a book about personal identity and relationships, which makes it truer to the original.
Weaknesses: I'm afraid that populating this story with Little Women characters will lose more middle grade readers than it will gain. While I'm not sure exactly where the original story was set, I always imagined it was Concord rather than Salem, but that could just be my own assumptions.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like allegorical fantasy books like Lucas' The Vanished Ones , Haydu's The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene, Leavitt's The Garden Just Beyond. or Savaryn's The Edge of In Between. I just don't have the readers for this type of fantasy book at my library.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What worked:
Many books feature main characters that change into creatures, but this book has four sisters suffering through the transformations. Meg is the main character, and stress causes her teeth to become long and pointy and her nails to grow into long claws. With anxiety being her catalyst, readers will find it difficult to predict when she’ll experience another episode. Jo becomes hairy during full moons, although she’s distressed at school one day when she grows fur and sprouts a tail. Meg comes to her rescue. However, that morning, Meg woke up in the woods with no recollection of how or why she ended up there. Readers will wonder if Meg is the new monster everyone at school is gossiping about. The author’s descriptions in the book will make readers wonder if the monster problem is bigger than they think.
As the oldest sister, Meg feels responsible for her younger siblings. They’ve been in many different foster homes, and she feels the need to look after them. This situation puts a lot of pressure on Meg’s character, as she struggles with the duty while trying to be a normal thirteen-year-old girl. What would it feel like to do things she wants to do, when she wants to? Adding to her angst is a prying boy living next door who may know about her secret. She tries to avoid him, but another classmate is now very interested in researching monsters for a school project. Even Meg’s best friend is excited about rumors of a new monster in Salem. Meg can’t trust anyone with her family’s secret.
Readers will be curious about Brooks, the new neighbor living next door. He arrives from out of the blue, and the monster sightings begin around the same time. He’s been nothing but nice to Meg, but she still suspects he’s up to something. Brooks finds things she’s left in the woods and covers for her when she can’t remember where she’s been. Does he know about her transformations? Annie, the pestering classmate, says she has video proof that Meg is a monster, and she’s threatening Meg with it. Is Annie telling the truth, or is it a ploy to aggravate Meg? The mystery of the monster terrorizing Salem carries the plot, and the solution may surprise readers. It surprises Meg!
What didn’t work as well:
Parts of the plot get redundant in the book’s first half. Meg constantly sprouts pointy teeth and claws in compromising situations, followed by efforts to conceal them from others. The cause of her family’s more frequent changes should be apparent to readers, but Meg and her sisters don’t notice. There could be fewer episodes of transformations, so the conflict surrounding Salem and monsters can develop sooner.
The final verdict:
Readers do not need to have read Little Women before reading this book. Meg has familiar, middle-grade issues that will connect with young readers, along with the attraction of monsters. I recommend you try the book for yourself!
Many books feature main characters that change into creatures, but this book has four sisters suffering through the transformations. Meg is the main character, and stress causes her teeth to become long and pointy and her nails to grow into long claws. With anxiety being her catalyst, readers will find it difficult to predict when she’ll experience another episode. Jo becomes hairy during full moons, although she’s distressed at school one day when she grows fur and sprouts a tail. Meg comes to her rescue. However, that morning, Meg woke up in the woods with no recollection of how or why she ended up there. Readers will wonder if Meg is the new monster everyone at school is gossiping about. The author’s descriptions in the book will make readers wonder if the monster problem is bigger than they think.
As the oldest sister, Meg feels responsible for her younger siblings. They’ve been in many different foster homes, and she feels the need to look after them. This situation puts a lot of pressure on Meg’s character, as she struggles with the duty while trying to be a normal thirteen-year-old girl. What would it feel like to do things she wants to do, when she wants to? Adding to her angst is a prying boy living next door who may know about her secret. She tries to avoid him, but another classmate is now very interested in researching monsters for a school project. Even Meg’s best friend is excited about rumors of a new monster in Salem. Meg can’t trust anyone with her family’s secret.
Readers will be curious about Brooks, the new neighbor living next door. He arrives from out of the blue, and the monster sightings begin around the same time. He’s been nothing but nice to Meg, but she still suspects he’s up to something. Brooks finds things she’s left in the woods and covers for her when she can’t remember where she’s been. Does he know about her transformations? Annie, the pestering classmate, says she has video proof that Meg is a monster, and she’s threatening Meg with it. Is Annie telling the truth, or is it a ploy to aggravate Meg? The mystery of the monster terrorizing Salem carries the plot, and the solution may surprise readers. It surprises Meg!
What didn’t work as well:
Parts of the plot get redundant in the book’s first half. Meg constantly sprouts pointy teeth and claws in compromising situations, followed by efforts to conceal them from others. The cause of her family’s more frequent changes should be apparent to readers, but Meg and her sisters don’t notice. There could be fewer episodes of transformations, so the conflict surrounding Salem and monsters can develop sooner.
The final verdict:
Readers do not need to have read Little Women before reading this book. Meg has familiar, middle-grade issues that will connect with young readers, along with the attraction of monsters. I recommend you try the book for yourself!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Little Monsters by Máire Roche is a retelling of the classic Little Women with a supernatural twist.
The March sisters have a dark secret that they will do anything to protect, even if a beast is hiding in the woods threatening to expose them.
Meg March and her three younger sisters are all monsters with different abilities. Meg has sharp teeth and claws. Jo becomes furry during the full moon and whenever she is stressed or experiencing strong emotions. Beth has wings that she uses to fly, and Amy turns into a mermaid whenever she is near salt water.
Meg is afraid that if their foster mother, Marmee, finds out the truth, the sisters will have to find a new foster home and might be split up. Their next-door neighbor and Jo's best friend, Laurie, would also be terrified if he discovered their secret. So Meg and her sisters do everything they can to hide who they really are before they scare away the people they love.
A new boy, John Brooke, has moved to their small town on the outskirts of Salem. Around the same time, a mysterious monster is spotted in the forest. Farmer Bhaer believes the creature is responsible for his missing chickens and the damage to his property.
Meg has been sleepwalking and waking up in random places covered in mud. She begins to worry that she is the monster causing havoc in the town. As Halloween draws closer, Meg teams up with John Brooke to uncover the real culprit before someone discovers who she really is and she and her sisters lose their home.
I thought the book was a cute and fun read. I liked the supernatural twist, which wasn't too scary for younger readers. The story mostly revolves around Meg learning to trust others, finding where she belongs, and embracing her identity. I haven't read the original book, but I think this middle-grade novel would appeal to younger readers because it tackles important themes that are still relevant today in a modern way.
There were a few inconsistencies in the story that were mildly annoying. Meg mentions that the dress she is wearing doesn't have any pockets, but later, while she's running, she puts her phone into that same nonexistent pocket. Later, when Meg is trying to access a USB drive, she simply plugs it into her phone, and the video immediately starts playing. I feel like most USB drives use a different connector than a phone's charging port, so an adapter would be needed. I also don't think a video would automatically be the first thing to open.
Overall, though, I thought the book was well written, and I think younger readers would enjoy this fun supernatural twist on a classic.
The March sisters have a dark secret that they will do anything to protect, even if a beast is hiding in the woods threatening to expose them.
Meg March and her three younger sisters are all monsters with different abilities. Meg has sharp teeth and claws. Jo becomes furry during the full moon and whenever she is stressed or experiencing strong emotions. Beth has wings that she uses to fly, and Amy turns into a mermaid whenever she is near salt water.
Meg is afraid that if their foster mother, Marmee, finds out the truth, the sisters will have to find a new foster home and might be split up. Their next-door neighbor and Jo's best friend, Laurie, would also be terrified if he discovered their secret. So Meg and her sisters do everything they can to hide who they really are before they scare away the people they love.
A new boy, John Brooke, has moved to their small town on the outskirts of Salem. Around the same time, a mysterious monster is spotted in the forest. Farmer Bhaer believes the creature is responsible for his missing chickens and the damage to his property.
Meg has been sleepwalking and waking up in random places covered in mud. She begins to worry that she is the monster causing havoc in the town. As Halloween draws closer, Meg teams up with John Brooke to uncover the real culprit before someone discovers who she really is and she and her sisters lose their home.
I thought the book was a cute and fun read. I liked the supernatural twist, which wasn't too scary for younger readers. The story mostly revolves around Meg learning to trust others, finding where she belongs, and embracing her identity. I haven't read the original book, but I think this middle-grade novel would appeal to younger readers because it tackles important themes that are still relevant today in a modern way.
There were a few inconsistencies in the story that were mildly annoying. Meg mentions that the dress she is wearing doesn't have any pockets, but later, while she's running, she puts her phone into that same nonexistent pocket. Later, when Meg is trying to access a USB drive, she simply plugs it into her phone, and the video immediately starts playing. I feel like most USB drives use a different connector than a phone's charging port, so an adapter would be needed. I also don't think a video would automatically be the first thing to open.
Overall, though, I thought the book was well written, and I think younger readers would enjoy this fun supernatural twist on a classic.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
With a sense of eerie and a full-load of monsterly fun, this novel draws in with tons of imagination and heart.
The four sisters are hoping to remain in their latest foster home together and not be pushed off to a new one again, or worse, split apart. They know that it's not easy for a family to keep all four of them, so they do their best to 'help out'. It doesn't help that each of them is a monster, one different from the other. Of course, they have to keep this a secret at any cost. With Halloween approaching, the eldest of the four, Meg, is determined to help her siblings dress up in costumes. She even has taken on a job next door collecting chicken eggs to raise the funds. But nothing is easy. Not only is the boy next door suspicious that she's carrying a secret, but a strange beast is haunting the woods...and if Meg doesn't figure out who or what this beast is, all secrets might be exposed. And that would be catastrophic.
From the very first page, it's clear that this is an enjoyable read. Meg and her sisters are a wonderful group with very different personalities. Their interactions carry all the push-and-pull sisters have with ups and downs. Meg does her best to hold everything together, which is already difficult in their situation, but she battles with constantly extending teeth and nails whenever she gets upset. Which happens a lot since she's only thirteen. The creepy factor dances along in the background without ever growing too scary. Instead, the dangerous balance Meg and her siblings have to hold add as much to the tension as any monster might.
It's hard to put this book down, since there's always something happen whether it be action, tension, a touch of humor, or relationship struggles...all hitting the middle grade range nicely. The girls react understandably, and their worries are easy to sympathize with. The world around them is also well built and adds a fun twist, since this is placed in Salem...so it's clear that there's more going on than even the four sisters realize. This adds to the mystery in a way, which has the reader automatically guessing at what is really behind the beast in the woods.
There is a tiny bit of first crushes with the boy next door involved, but this stays well fit for the age group, too. It definitely adds an interesting twist and ups the tension, since his presence holds dangers, too. So there's a lot going on....a lot to enjoy the entire way through.
The four sisters are hoping to remain in their latest foster home together and not be pushed off to a new one again, or worse, split apart. They know that it's not easy for a family to keep all four of them, so they do their best to 'help out'. It doesn't help that each of them is a monster, one different from the other. Of course, they have to keep this a secret at any cost. With Halloween approaching, the eldest of the four, Meg, is determined to help her siblings dress up in costumes. She even has taken on a job next door collecting chicken eggs to raise the funds. But nothing is easy. Not only is the boy next door suspicious that she's carrying a secret, but a strange beast is haunting the woods...and if Meg doesn't figure out who or what this beast is, all secrets might be exposed. And that would be catastrophic.
From the very first page, it's clear that this is an enjoyable read. Meg and her sisters are a wonderful group with very different personalities. Their interactions carry all the push-and-pull sisters have with ups and downs. Meg does her best to hold everything together, which is already difficult in their situation, but she battles with constantly extending teeth and nails whenever she gets upset. Which happens a lot since she's only thirteen. The creepy factor dances along in the background without ever growing too scary. Instead, the dangerous balance Meg and her siblings have to hold add as much to the tension as any monster might.
It's hard to put this book down, since there's always something happen whether it be action, tension, a touch of humor, or relationship struggles...all hitting the middle grade range nicely. The girls react understandably, and their worries are easy to sympathize with. The world around them is also well built and adds a fun twist, since this is placed in Salem...so it's clear that there's more going on than even the four sisters realize. This adds to the mystery in a way, which has the reader automatically guessing at what is really behind the beast in the woods.
There is a tiny bit of first crushes with the boy next door involved, but this stays well fit for the age group, too. It definitely adds an interesting twist and ups the tension, since his presence holds dangers, too. So there's a lot going on....a lot to enjoy the entire way through.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Little Monsters was such an adorable reimagining of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, Little Women. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, especially once all the loose ends were tied up, for I have never been Meg March’s biggest fan. Indeed, I was quite skeptical of Máire Roche’s decision to write the story from Meg’s perspective, but quickly realized that it made for a more compelling mystery, as Meg always was the most insecure of the sisters. While her inability to accept help became rather tiresome, as did her constant thought about why she couldn’t be the one to handle everything, it was understandable given the foster children context in this adaptation. My only true gripe about the plot itself was that the March sisters’ origins wasn’t explored properly, as to explain their monstrous traits.
Roche’s writing style was very accessible for a middle-grade reader. That said, I am ambivalent about the exact age range to which Little Monsters would appeal, despite its length. If it were me, I think I would have enjoyed it as a second grader through fourth grader. However, I probably would’ve found it to be just a tad too juvenile as a fifth grader onwards. Thus, I personally would recommend this novel as a solo read for a slightly advanced mid-elementary student, or as a chapter teacher-led read in the aforementioned grades.
Thank you very much to Aladdin, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this ARC!
Roche’s writing style was very accessible for a middle-grade reader. That said, I am ambivalent about the exact age range to which Little Monsters would appeal, despite its length. If it were me, I think I would have enjoyed it as a second grader through fourth grader. However, I probably would’ve found it to be just a tad too juvenile as a fifth grader onwards. Thus, I personally would recommend this novel as a solo read for a slightly advanced mid-elementary student, or as a chapter teacher-led read in the aforementioned grades.
Thank you very much to Aladdin, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
“People are usually worse than any monster story.”
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: abusive relationship with parent, mention of animal death
This was an intriguing take on Little Women! It did a good job of bringing the classic characters we know and love into a new environment, while staying true to their personalities. In most of the other Little Women retellings I've read, they tend to focus on Jo, as her character is very dynamic. However, with Little Monsters, the main focus is the eldest March sister, Meg, which was great to see. I liked Roche's take on Meg in this retelling and found her to be relatable and her growth inspiring. She teaches younger readers the important lesson that it is ok to ask for help and that we never truly know what someone else is going through in life. In terms of the magic system, I wish we had more descriptions of how it worked or got to know the March sisters' powers better. I think this would have added more intrigue to the plot and would have stopped the ending from feeling a bit rushed. Overall, a good summerween or spooky season read!
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: abusive relationship with parent, mention of animal death
This was an intriguing take on Little Women! It did a good job of bringing the classic characters we know and love into a new environment, while staying true to their personalities. In most of the other Little Women retellings I've read, they tend to focus on Jo, as her character is very dynamic. However, with Little Monsters, the main focus is the eldest March sister, Meg, which was great to see. I liked Roche's take on Meg in this retelling and found her to be relatable and her growth inspiring. She teaches younger readers the important lesson that it is ok to ask for help and that we never truly know what someone else is going through in life. In terms of the magic system, I wish we had more descriptions of how it worked or got to know the March sisters' powers better. I think this would have added more intrigue to the plot and would have stopped the ending from feeling a bit rushed. Overall, a good summerween or spooky season read!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨3.75 Stars✨
This is a cute and fun read that’s perfect for middle grade readers, especially during spooky season!
I really love when a retelling has elements of the original story and some amount of familiarity with the characters, but enough variation that you still can’t predict what will happen in the story.
Which is what you can expect from Little Monsters!
Little Monsters mainly follows Meg, and the other sisters are supporting side characters. We see Meg grow as she learns how to accept herself and navigate allowing others to love and help her, all while the sisters are figuring out that they have developed monster qualities.
I think this is a great introduction for readers to get to know the March sisters. The characters are similar in nature to the classic story characters, with modern and supernatural elements mixed in.
As a fan of Little Women, I see this as a fun way to merge my love of the story with a modern take that would be entertaining for my middle grade reader. It would be lots of fun to read this together and then move on to reading Little Women together!
If you have a middle grade reader who likes spooky season reads I would recommend this book!
This is a cute and fun read that’s perfect for middle grade readers, especially during spooky season!
I really love when a retelling has elements of the original story and some amount of familiarity with the characters, but enough variation that you still can’t predict what will happen in the story.
Which is what you can expect from Little Monsters!
Little Monsters mainly follows Meg, and the other sisters are supporting side characters. We see Meg grow as she learns how to accept herself and navigate allowing others to love and help her, all while the sisters are figuring out that they have developed monster qualities.
I think this is a great introduction for readers to get to know the March sisters. The characters are similar in nature to the classic story characters, with modern and supernatural elements mixed in.
As a fan of Little Women, I see this as a fun way to merge my love of the story with a modern take that would be entertaining for my middle grade reader. It would be lots of fun to read this together and then move on to reading Little Women together!
If you have a middle grade reader who likes spooky season reads I would recommend this book!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Little Monsters is a modern take on the beloved classic, Little Women. Written for a middle grade audience, this book was a fun romp from beginning to end. Written from the viewpoint of Meg, the story begins with us learning the March sisters are… different. Meg has claws. Jo has fur. Amy grows a tail near water. Beth has wings. Meg desperately wants her and her sisters to be normal. She does so much to help her sisters she begins to lose who she is as a person. Can she learn to accept help and friendship? Can she learn to accept who she and her sisters are?
Thankfully, this book took out some of the more depressing parts of the original. The monster aspect made the story feel fresh for a new audience. There’s still the theme of wanting to fit in, but I really liked how this book did it. It was fun seeing the March sisters go to a modern school and have things like cell phones. I think younger readers will really like this, growing to love the characters we know and also loved.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thankfully, this book took out some of the more depressing parts of the original. The monster aspect made the story feel fresh for a new audience. There’s still the theme of wanting to fit in, but I really liked how this book did it. It was fun seeing the March sisters go to a modern school and have things like cell phones. I think younger readers will really like this, growing to love the characters we know and also loved.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Content warning: a few uses of God’s name in vain, a few mentions of LGBT related things, a bit of violence (a girl is kicked and some people are attacked by a monster), and a 13 year old girl has a crush on a boy and there is some flirting.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
I love Marmee with all my heart!! She was such a great foster mom! 🥹😭
So some things I enjoyed about the book were the beautiful message about accepting help from people who care about you, the big reveal (I did not predict it at all), and the spooky Halloween vibes!
A couple things that just didn’t really work for me personally were the modern setting and the fact that this was advertised as a Little Women retelling. I wish the book had stuck with more of the original Little Women story, or if the book had just simply been its own thing and not a retelling.
A solid middle grade book that’s perfect to read at Halloween time!
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
I love Marmee with all my heart!! She was such a great foster mom! 🥹😭
So some things I enjoyed about the book were the beautiful message about accepting help from people who care about you, the big reveal (I did not predict it at all), and the spooky Halloween vibes!
A couple things that just didn’t really work for me personally were the modern setting and the fact that this was advertised as a Little Women retelling. I wish the book had stuck with more of the original Little Women story, or if the book had just simply been its own thing and not a retelling.
A solid middle grade book that’s perfect to read at Halloween time!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A Little Women retelling that is a perfect read for spooky season. Meg and her three sisters are all hiding something at their foster home. But while they’re beasts are hiding there’s a dangerous one lurking in the woods. I couldn’t help but feel for Meg. She works so hard to be a good big sister. It was a good reminder for me that we never know what someone is going through. Being kind can go a long way.
An inspiring story that’s perfect for middle grade readers about acceptance and our self worth.
The narrator Ferdelle Capistrano did a great job portraying Meg and all of the inner turmoil that she’s struggling with. I loved how she captured the little sisters as well. She brought them all to life including the male characters in the book. Each voice was unique and I loved every second of the audiobook.
Perfect for young readers who are craving a monster mystery and enjoy retellings.
A very special thanks to Simon Audio for the ALC and Simon Kids for the gifted copy.
An inspiring story that’s perfect for middle grade readers about acceptance and our self worth.
The narrator Ferdelle Capistrano did a great job portraying Meg and all of the inner turmoil that she’s struggling with. I loved how she captured the little sisters as well. She brought them all to life including the male characters in the book. Each voice was unique and I loved every second of the audiobook.
Perfect for young readers who are craving a monster mystery and enjoy retellings.
A very special thanks to Simon Audio for the ALC and Simon Kids for the gifted copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Aladdin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this title.
Meg March has a lot going on. She has to keep an eye on her three sisters while navigating the foster care system. They boys next door can be distracting and - oh yeah - she's a monster. Little Monsters is a spooky reimagining of the March sisters' story. Meg's hiding supernatural secrets and when it's Halloween in Salem all bets are off. Strange attacks are occurring in town and Meg has to wonder...is she the monster in the woods?
This story is fun and easy to read. It's appropriately spooky and the kids behave like kids. The mystery is intriguing and I didn't need a cheat sheet to keep track of the cast. I would absolutely recommend this as a cozy fall read and look forward to seeing it out in the world.
Meg March has a lot going on. She has to keep an eye on her three sisters while navigating the foster care system. They boys next door can be distracting and - oh yeah - she's a monster. Little Monsters is a spooky reimagining of the March sisters' story. Meg's hiding supernatural secrets and when it's Halloween in Salem all bets are off. Strange attacks are occurring in town and Meg has to wonder...is she the monster in the woods?
This story is fun and easy to read. It's appropriately spooky and the kids behave like kids. The mystery is intriguing and I didn't need a cheat sheet to keep track of the cast. I would absolutely recommend this as a cozy fall read and look forward to seeing it out in the world.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I picked up Little Monsters for a podcast I was lucky enough to be part of while performing in Little Women (shameless plug: Adventures in Learning!).
It was so fun to experience a completely different take on a story I know and love. Seeing how the core themes and relationships were adapted in a new way made for a really engaging read.
This is definitely a great option for a younger audience or anyone looking for a lighter, more accessible introduction to the Little Women world. Sweet, quick, and a fun reimagining!
It was so fun to experience a completely different take on a story I know and love. Seeing how the core themes and relationships were adapted in a new way made for a really engaging read.
This is definitely a great option for a younger audience or anyone looking for a lighter, more accessible introduction to the Little Women world. Sweet, quick, and a fun reimagining!
February 7, 2025
Hey! This is my Middle Grade debut, coming summer 2026 from Aladdin. This title (and other fantasy novels from me, stay tuned!) will be published under the original spelling of my name, Máire Roche.
If you have arrived here from my YA, thank you for sticking with me across genres and age categories, and I hope you enjoy this new adventure! If you are new to my work—thank you for joining me. <33
If you have arrived here from my YA, thank you for sticking with me across genres and age categories, and I hope you enjoy this new adventure! If you are new to my work—thank you for joining me. <33
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4/5 Stars
As a middle grade read, I think this will be a hit with kids. It has just the right amount of spooky without being too scary, and the charming characters and quirky community make for a fun setting. As an adult reader, though, I found it a little boring at times, and I was surprised by how little it had to do with the original Little Women. Still, I could definitely see this community being the start of more fun adventures in future books.
As a middle grade read, I think this will be a hit with kids. It has just the right amount of spooky without being too scary, and the charming characters and quirky community make for a fun setting. As an adult reader, though, I found it a little boring at times, and I was surprised by how little it had to do with the original Little Women. Still, I could definitely see this community being the start of more fun adventures in future books.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review of advance copy
3.5
Cute retelling! Character traits of beloved March sisters still present.
Cute retelling! Character traits of beloved March sisters still present.
August 18, 2026
Cute middle grade book
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