Locked Out Lily

by Nick Lake, Emily Gravett (Illustrations)

A startlingly original, stunningly-illustrated modern classic about learning to face your fears from the multi award-winning partnership of Nick Lake and Emily Gravett.

Lily just wants things to go back to the way they before she got sick, before her parents decided to have another baby. So when she’s sent away to stay with her grandmother while her mum has the baby, Lily is determined to go home. But she doesn’t expect to find people in her house – people who look like her parents, but definitely aren’t … Together with some unlikely animal companions, Lily must face her fears and summon the courage to break into her own house, and defeat ‘The Replacements’ before the night is out.

Nick Lake's atmospheric story of family and friendship is brought to spectacular life by Emily Gravett, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

'A book of such wit and flair and the kind of book you finish and immediately begin again, so that you can live again alongside the characters’ Katherine Rundell, bestselling author of The Explorer

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Childrens, Fiction

Hardcover

Published November 4, 2021

About the author

My name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.

THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.

I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works.

I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.

I dislike: being sick, failing, being underdressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily doesn't want to be sick anymore and she doesn't want her baby sister to arrive. She wants her life to go back to how it used to be, when it was just her and her parents and no hospital visits, for either Lily or her mum. But that's not possible.

It's not possible because Lily isn't getting any better. It's not possible because her mother's waters have broken and her parents have left Lily alone as they rush to the hospital to give birth. And it's not possible as figures who look like her parents, but who definitely aren't them, have taken over their home while they were gone.

These creepy, Gothic MG stories get me every time! There were very obvious Coraline similarities here but I thought Nick Lake did a great job of creating a novel that never felt like a copy of something that had come before.

The distinct and unique personality of the book was crafted by the special, magical creatures that aided Lily on her quest to rid her home of the spectres now inhabiting it. This was such an eerie tale but these adorable inclusions helped to alleviate the tone and make this an entirely engaging story, that went from spooky and sinister to wholesome and hopeful.

I loved the illustrations that accompanied it. They were the perfect blend of beautiful and spooky, to match the tone of the story and to aid in bringing this to life.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Nick Lake, and the publisher, Simon & Schuster Children's UK, for this opportunity.

[Verónica Fleitas Solich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and brave.
A magical path that is a tool to process a monumental difficulty in the life of a child.
I ended up with goosebumps in more than a moment.
Super recommended.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing thought provoking book.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to see if it would be okay as a bedtime read for my 5 year old and I can safely say no, absolutely not, brb putting this book on a high shelf until he's 21.

Obviously I'm not going to be that dramatic really (once he's 18 he can read whatever he likes 😂) but damn, parts of this were brutal for a kid's book. I'll try to review it properly at some point, maybe? It was genuinely an excellent mix of cute and magical and absolutely savage - I actually worried about the main character a couple of times, it was very well done.

[sgh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get a grip on this book for some reason, I couldn’t make it mean anything to me. But there’s some lovely descriptive writing and the illustrations are stunning.

[whatbooknext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vega Jane, her gentle giant best friend Delph, newcomer Petra Sonnett, and loyal dog Harry Two have made it across the Quag. It was far from easy or quick with a world of knowledge to be obtained before they could do so. Monsters, magic, mayhem mixed in with betrayal have shaped these young people into completely different ones that left the small village of Wormwood.

They soon come across a village that looks perfectly normal but quickly realise it is anything but. There are no monsters which is a surprise as they were expecting Maladons, but watching closer reveals the truth. The Maladons are hiding in plain sight, and are many more times evil than the worst monster they ever encountered in the Quag.

Vega Jane and her friends discover her ancestral home. It is safe from the Maladons, unable to be seen by them, and is soon a pivotal part of a plan to fight back. Vega meets ancestors long gone from this life, and even one she has pined for since the age of six. Although sweet, these meetings are all too short for Vega after waiting for so long. They do have advice for her though, especially helping when her self confidence is low.

She’s still struggling with Delph and Petra’s seemingly close friendship, nearly buckling to rising jealousy. Her plan to fight the Maladons is a worthy one but progress is excruciatingly slow, and the delay results in the most devastating news of them all.

Vega is shocked. Vega is crushed. Vega is angry – and will take her revenge – no matter what.


No. 3 in this renamed series is a different world again from the village of Wormwood in Vega Jane 1, and the brimming with monsters world of the Quag in Vega Jane 2.

Finding the Village of True and a bigger one of Greater True was meant to be a better life after the Quag. What it is, is another battle to be faced, 100 times more dangerous than the monsters of the Quag. It takes a while for this to fully materialise in this episode but the intense ending made me want to dive straight into the last book of the series – Vega Jane (4) and the End of Time.

Vega’s feelings about Delph are pushed aside by all that she must do and the people she must lead, until he takes things into his own hands – finally! Still, nothing is certain to the reader about any future together for these Wugs from Wormwood.

Petra plays a smaller part in this episode and I’m still not sure I trust her. I think, given half the chance and opportunity, she will take all for herself, including Delph. I won’t find out until I dive into the final in this quartet of imaginative fantasy novels – called Vega Jane and the End of Time.

Author – David Baldacci

Age – 10+

[Ric Cheyney · Rating 4 out of 5]

HYBRID THEORY

This appears to me to be a generic hybrid. It is a children’s story featuring animals that talk, the kind of thing that might make a 30-page children’s picture book; but it is also a very dark horror story. The strangest thing of all is that I liked reading it and admired the writing.

To sum up: Lily is a girl with some serious health worries, and she needs to get into her home and remove the two nasty replicas of her parents so that her real parents will be able to live there again.

Generally I am staunchly against dark, grim children’s stories that spend 300 pages in the murk and just a few final pages in the light. This story is almost relentlessly dark, unsettling and worrying. The narrative has so many nasty bits that even when things appear to be sorted, the slightest hint will raise your anxiety levels to alarm-bell status.

Several factors save and elevate this book into a worthwhile read. One is the light meta-fiction element which doles out occasional bits of commentary on Lily’s situation via the voices of her animal accomplices. Another is the many distinctive illustrations by Emily Gravett, which dwell very firmly in the horror and darkness but still manage to carry magical positive energy.

And probably the most powerful positive aspect is the poetic expression by the author, which features some beautiful description and imagery while generally avoiding that look-at-me-I’m-using-techniques-here kind of showiness which mars an awful lot of modern writing. Perhaps Peter S. Beagle would be a useful comparison. Oh yes, it's that good, but where Beagle is 80% light, Lake is 90% darkness.

There is some humour too, and again that is generally well controlled to keep it effective without deflating the proper tension of the narrative.

So, if you know a young reader of, say, eight to twelve years old, who enjoys spooky stuff but still has time for childhood fantasticals, this could be just the thing.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated by Emily Gravett, Nick Lake has conjured up a haunting tale of family, fears, illness and change that feels like a dark fairy tale. As Lily finds herself dealing with strange and deadly non-parents in her house, she is also having to face up to her illness and how her life is different despite all her wishing for everything to be as it was. Very much a story about acceptance and moving forward, this is hopeful without being sentimental. I loved the animal helpers and all the characters worked well with each other, helping to move the plot along convincingly. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
My thanks to #NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Kids for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Guillermo Andrade Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAWPILE: 7.71/10 - 4/5

Este es un libro de niños que habla acerca de muchas cosas:

1. Miedo a una enfermedad y al cambio
2. Frustración personal
3. Enfrentarse a una nueva realidad
4. Miedo a perder a tu familia

Creo que el autor pudo manejar de una manera muy inteligente la personificación de la ansiedad de Lily, como en los animales podemos ver parte de Lily, lo que piensa y como lo maneja.

Siento que la historia tiene un parecido a "Coraline" de Neil Gaiman, no tanta que es una copia, pero definitivamente tiene inspiración en la historia de Gaiman.

Una bonita historia acerca de familia y crecimiento, por un momento casi lloro, me gustaría volver a leerla y aprender nuevas cosas en la relectura.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot happens and it happens very quickly and there doesn't seem to be any consequence. I never feared for Lily at all. There are some heavy-hitting themes dealing with Lily's illness and her feelings towards the new baby her mom is giving birth to. I did like the animal characters quite a bit. I think their banter saved this book from being two stars. Others claim that this book made them cry. I did feel a tiny spark of emotion near the end, but that was all. I didn't hate it, but I feel like in a few months, I'll have forgotten that I even read it.

[thefatflatcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

First off - how is this a middle grade? I was genuinely scared and the parent-things reminded me so much of Coraline - which I also find absolutely scary, thank you very much. The animal companions were lovely (except maybe for snake, whose purpose I didn't quite understand).

There were scenes where violent behaviour against animals is depicted and I was constantly afraid that we wouldn't get through this story without one of them dying.

Despite all of my criticisms I did enjoy the progression of the story and the development of Lily throughout it.

[nessa .｡✧･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

first of all the illustrations were incredible so that is definitely a big part of my rating
on the other hand this book confused me and almost put me into a reading slump.. it definitely delivered the message tho abt getting over fears and changing for the better and that was absolutely awesome but there were some parts that felt unnecessary and dragged out and i was just really confused abt certain things
i also didn’t absolutely love the writing but with all that aside, it was a pretty good book!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Im normally quite a slow reader but found I couldnt put it down, managing to read it in one sitting. I loved the family aspect and the darker undertones to the story. Its also a very inspiring story with the determination that Lily (the main character has) to get rid of the replacements. The character development of all characters through the story is very touching aswell.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is enjoyable and a quick read. As another reviewer mentioned is like Coraline. Lily suffers from a undisclosed illness that requires dialysis (although it's only called dialysis at the end of the book, Lily refers to it as having her blood cleaned and replaced.) I do like the critter characters here especially Mole. I like the old ways and superstitions apply here. Iron, magpies etc. Really liked it.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

What looks an ungainly melange of girl-on-fantasy-quest-with-animal-companions and real life drama can be a gallingly good read at times. And with Ms Gravett's help never begins to look ungainly.

For my full review, please click on:- http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/L...

[Mike Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it 5⭐️
But it is essentially ‘Coraline’
Don’t get me wrong - I read it in one sitting and it is written brilliantly, emotionally, a little bit of danger here and there, a journey of self-discovery…
I really enjoyed it, but I couldn’t shake off the fact that it is so similar to Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful story. I didn't expect this to hit me as hard as it did. I cried so much by the end. Hard-hitting but in a lighthearted middle grade way. This book will touch your heart and make you realise that things could always be worse.

Definitely a one-click author for me now with all their future books.

I highly recommend this enthralling adventure.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book. Lots of themes about illness, finding worth in yourself despite flaws, being brave, and learning from your mistakes. It was a bit of a horror tho, like Coraline. It was scary to imagine parent-looking demons in your house. I will recommend this to my patrons.

[stefiereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me entertained til the end :) Love the animals and Lily.. however, I was expecting a bit more from it.. still a great read though.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was surprisingly metaphorical. and the end of the book had me sitting there thinking deeper thaughts then usual. written so well.