Where the Crows Wait: (1 The Ledger Chronicles)

Some houses whisper. Others wait. This one calls. When twelve-year-old Rue moves to a suburb lined with perfect white houses and identical green lawns, something about her new street feels off. Too clean. Too still. Too quiet. Except for the house across the road-the one that doesn't match. The one hidden behind a rusted spiral gate and walls of tangled vines. The one no one talks about. The one Rue can't stop seeing. Then the crows come. Mysterious black shapes begin to appear at Rue's window, their eyes fixed on her. Gifts are left behind-a feather, a marble, a flash of poppy red. Rue starts recording everything in a notebook she calls The Ledger. She's certain the house is trying to tell her something. And she's certain she's the only one who can hear it. But when her connection to the house grows deeper, Rue's sense of reality starts to slip. Her best friend turns distant. Her dog begins to panic at the gate. And her obsession with the spiral, the symbols, and the crows begins to blur the line between understanding and unraveling. Part gothic mystery, part psychological coming-of-age, Where the Crows Wait is a lyrical middle-grade novel that explores the fine threads between grief, identity, and imagination. Perfect for readers who loved Coraline, The Nest, or The Secret Garden, this quiet, unsettling novel captures the feeling of being caught between two worlds: the one you're told is real-and the one you feel in your bones. ���� A perfect classroom read for grades 5-8 ���� Themes of mental health, intuition, isolation, and wonder ���� Includes symbolism study potential: spirals, gates, birds, notebooks, poppies If you're drawn to stories that unfold like a secret and leave you with more questions than answers-Where the Crows Wait is already waiting for you.

About the Author :
Nicole Pigeon is a Canadian writer and publisher who believes in the quiet kind of magic-the kind that hides in old houses, forgotten notebooks, and ordinary days that don't feel ordinary at all. She is the founder of Story Seed Press and writes stories for kids, teens, and grownups who never stopped feeling a little out of place. Nicole lives in Ottawa with her husband, three kids, and a two cats who probably knows more than he lets on. Find her at www.storyseedpress.com.

Review :
Perfect for fans of Coraline, The Secret Garden, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Where the Crows Wait is a quiet, spellbinding novel where magic hums at the edges of grief, and forgotten places remember what we've tried to forget. With lyrical prose and haunting atmosphere, this story lingers like mist-inviting readers to see the world not as it is, but as it almost was. "This book feels like a secret garden hidden inside a memory. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished."-Early Reader "It's eerie in the gentlest way-like the kind of quiet that listens back."-Middle Grade Librarian "Rue sees the world differently, and that's what makes this story magical. My daughter read it twice."-Parent of a 10-year-old "Reminded me of Coraline, but softer. Stranger Things, but sadder. Just absolutely beautiful."-Bookstagram ARC Reviewer "I loved how it didn't tell me what to think. I had to feel it."-Grade 6 Student "A deeply atmospheric novel that wraps grief, memory, and magic into a single whispering story."-Indie Bookseller "This is one of those books I would've dog-eared and carried in my backpack for weeks as a kid."-Adult MG Fan