Watch Hollow, by Gregory Funaro

Listen to this book in Granite’s OverDrive Digital Library

Watch Hollow
Written by Gregory Funaro

Life has not been the same since Lucy and Oliver’s mother passed away. Their family is up to their ears in debt, but their luck changes when their dad is offered a job to fix a massive cuckoo clock in Blackford House, located in Watch Hollow. The clock puzzles Oliver and his dad due to its unique engineering, but Lucy cannot help but notice that the woods surrounding the house are silent. Then one night the wooden figures that power the cuckoo clock come to life and inform Lucy that she is the new caretaker and must protect them from the evil Garr. She is also warned not to inform her family about the wooden figures for the Garr has ears everywhere. During this time Oliver encounters a strange kid in the woods who smells of garbage and mold. The stranger creeps Oliver out, but the kid in the forest gives him an acorn that cures his embarrassing acne. Both siblings keep these unusual events to themselves until it is too late. Lucy, Oliver, and their father must work together in order to protect themselves from the Garr before he becomes all powerful.

The writing style keeps the reader engaged and I found it clever how the author included a picture of a clock face on ever chapter header. It is a decent suspense novel due to the creepy environment the children find themselves in along with peculiar characters. You will still be able to sleep at night but the story takes a new twist on the phrase “too good to be true.”

Review by LeeAnne Grover, Hillside Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★½✩ (3.5 stars)
Interest Level: 4th-6th Grade

Watch Hollow
Written by Gregory Funaro
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
246 pages
Release Date: February 12, 2019
A review copy was provided by the publisher.

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top