Guest, written by Mary Downing Hahn, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Guest: A Changeling Tale draws on the rich history of Irish folklore and fairy tales. Mollie resents being stuck watching her baby brother Thomas. She longs for the freedom to run and play with her friends. Thomas is the perfect baby. He is good natured, well behaved and beautiful. Mollie, her family and friends perpetually call Thomas ugly and talk about his bad temperament. No one must speak the truth about Thomas or they will risk being overhead by the Kinde Folke. The Kinde Folke are malicious and deceitful. They wreak havoc on anyone who curses them or treats them with disrespect. They can fill a field with thorns or make a cow’s milk dry up. In spite of her mother's warnings, Mollie talks about how perfect her brother is. She also neglects to put Thomas’ protective necklace on his neck. She pockets it for herself instead. The Kinde Folke hear her and steal Thomas away. They replace him with an ugly terrifying Changeling. Mollie names him Guest because he won’t be staying long. Her mother plans to abandon Guest at the Crossroads. The local healer warns Mollie’s mother against it. She commands Mollie’s family to love Guest and treat him well instead. It’s their only possible hope of getting Thomas back. The life Mollie used to know slowly disappears as her family falls into despair. Her father leaves the family. Guest slowly sucks the life out of Mollie’s mother with his constant demands for food. Mollie decides to fix the events she set in motion. She goes on a quest to the Dark Lands to return Guest to his kind and take Thomas back home. Mollie soon realizes her plan is both naïve and deeply flawed. The Dark Lands are scarier and more treacherous than she knew. Mollie has to decide whether to turn back empty handed or press on to save Thomas. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Guest is a classic eerie tale of sibling rivalry and regret. Mollie is equal parts rash, brave and kind. Her relationship with Guest changes as they continue on their journey into the Dark Lands. Mollie is a fully formed character but most of the supporting characters are not. The plotting is taut and maintains the tension throughout. The Afterward helpfully explains some of the Irish terminology and folklore that may be unfamiliar to some readers. The book works well as a read aloud story for either a physical or a virtual classroom. The book is also recommended for striving readers due to its lower reading level and compact size. The novel is creepy but not so creepy it will give younger readers nightmares. I highly recommend this spooky read for fans of Hahn's other books and younger readers clamoring for something scary.