This was something of a disappointment for me, as suggested by the fact that it took me more than a week to read a children's book of just 109 pages. The premise and style sounded like so much fun, but ultimately, I think the author would have benefitted from a really good editor--and I'm not talking about proofreading, which also needed some work.

Story-wise, this read as a children's tale that was written by an adult who wanted to deliver a specific set of lessons--in other words, it suffered from feeling like it came from an adult who wasn't thinking about what kids would Want to read, but what they Needed to read. At times, the tone even felt a bit condescending toward the main child character--but kids don't want to read adult writers who are talking down to them or making it sound like their main child characters are immature or silly; they want to read about kids they can relate to, who they'd want to go on adventures with and be friends with. This was a problem that cropped out throughout the book.

This tone issue also goes into the overall set-up of the book. Length-wise and presentation-wise, this feels like it should be a middle grade book, but it reads like something a parent would read to their child at bedtime. Put more directly... if I were old enough and mature enough to read this styling and level of language by myself, I'd probably find myself disengaging and leaving it unfinished. That's another big problem.

On a lesser level, pacing and focus were issues (the focus kept shifting, sometimes awkwardly, and the ending was incredibly rushed), as was proofreading. But, because I liked the concept and rather enjoyed the writing at at least some points, I have to think that a lot of this came down to a lack of editing. I might very well read another work by this author, that being the case, but not if it came from this publisher. That said, I'll certainly give another book from this publisher a shot, and if I love that, then I may grow more skeptical of this writer vs. the publisher.

One way or another, I'm afraid I couldn't recommend this book--to child or adult. ( )

I didn't read much (any?) horror as a child. I remember having a copy of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" and generally enjoying those stories but I didn't read much else in the genre until I got older. As an adult, I really enjoyed books like Gaiman's Coraline and The Graveyard Book and feel like I would have liked them as a child. Naturally then, I was interested in checking out The Boatman.

The main protagonist is a young girl named Izzy. As in many tragic stories, her parents are dead and she has been placed under the guardianship of her aunt Ms Slaughter. We quickly find Izzy struggling against the harsh rules and regulations of her aunt and school and life. We also quickly learn that Izzy has a penchant to observe and interact with the supernatural world around her.

The writing in the story was entertaining and well structured. The descriptions were vibrant and the dialog was fun. I felt that the plot and story arc felt a little unsteady at points but overall it was alright.

While I enjoyed the book, it didn't come across as exactly the book I was expecting. For some reason, the book synopsis led me to think that the supernatural elements managed to cross over into the "real" world. Specifically, the last part of the synopsis says that she "invented" the Boatman, "a terrible monster that lures kids into a strange sleeping sickness." I expected the Boatman to be a supernatural villain who came into our world (through Izzy's actions) and began preying on children in the town. Minor spoiler alert...this doesn't happen.

The last half or third of the novel in particular really disconnected a little bit for me. The trajectory of horror novel shifted and became more of a psychological analysis (not even a psychological thriller per se). The message was insightful and interesting, if perhaps a bit heavy handed.

I felt like this was a fun story that kids would enjoy. It's just creepy enough to draw them in without being over-the-top scary in a way that would disturb them. The message/morale of the story is nice and could open up some reassuring discussions between parents and children. I loved the inclusion of artwork in parts of the book. I feel like more young/middle reader stories should include art like this. With the wonderful descriptive language of the author, the imagery was not a necessity but it added some fun diversions while turning pages. On the whole, I found this to be an enjoyable read that I'd gladly hand over to younger readers and one that I'd be willing to read aloud. It left me wanting a little more in some cases and feeling a little off balance when transitioning from the first half to the second half. Overall it was an enjoyable experience.

***
3.5 out of 5 stars ( )

Cute story.
"Isabel Wixon is weird. Not only does she see dead things, but her list of friends consists of a talkative ventriloquist's dummy and the gentlemanly spider that lives in her hair. Real friends? Too hard. Inventing friends is much easier.
Inventing the Boatman - a terrible monster that lures kids into a strange sleeping sickness and never lets them go - probably wasn't one of her better ideas though."
This book has a very cute storyline. I feel that it gets off topic a bit however. I feel that this would be better written as a short story instead of a book. The story is so simple and the plot is really straightforward which would make it a good short story.
Very well written however, and written in a young adult sort of style. The illustrations are lovely. the fact that they are black and white really brings out the feeling of the story itself. I felt myself reminiscing on Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories books.
All in all it was a good quick read. I enjoyed Monty immensely and found him rather humorous... for a spider 🕷️ ( )

There are a lot of children who come asking for scary stories and this is a good one. The illustrations are amazing. The storytelling will draw you in and take you on Isabel's journey with her. The letters at the beginning and end are a nice touch as well. ( )

Isabel Wixon is a plucky heroine, recently orphaned and living with her aunt in an eerie old house at the foot of a graveyard. A Lemony Snicket-like author’s warning leads into a fun, creepy tale populated by ghosts and talking spiders, where giving in to your nightmares could prove deadly. Although the story is a bit short to allow for much buildup, the characters are well drawn and engaging so it’s hard not to care what happens to them. The wonderful illustrations by Dora Mitchell add to the spooky charm of the book.