I found this softcover in this charming trailside Little Free Library in Southington CT while stopping by to drop off some books of my own.

The story is fascinating - a child's-eye view of a situation that (it soon becomes apparent) is a nightmare, yet one from which the child's mother has managed to shield him. But for how long?

This was a thoroughly harrowing story, yet it manages to present an awe-inspiring amount of strength-in-adversity on the part of Jack's mother. And the second half of the book goes into an area seldom addressed, the trauma of the survivors of such a nightmare.

I don't want to give too many details, as part of the fascination of the story is in discovering them for one's self, but I definitely got caught up in the story and ached for the characters. Strongly recommended.

[There's a 2015 film adaptation. And the TV Tropes page on the book and the film has some entertaining tidbits.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Movie release challenge. ***