First published 1987
Harry Hamilton thinks his family life is complicated enough already. His mother Naomi juggles work and raising three teenagers while his stepfather Jack tries to keep everyone in line. Then the Carnival family moves into the house next door, and everything changes. The new neighbors seem ordinary at first, but Harry soon discovers they possess an unsettling ability to manipulate reality itself. When the Carnivals begin inserting themselves into the Hamilton family's daily routines, the boundaries between the two households blur in dangerous ways. Harry must figure out what these strange newcomers really want and why they've chosen his family as their target. As the Carnivals' influence grows stronger, Harry realizes that protecting the people he loves means confronting forces he barely understands. The struggle becomes a battle for his family's identity and independence.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Hamilton Household, Carnival Household
266 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry