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Thornhill Kindle Edition

by Pam Smy (Author, Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 392 ratings
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Parallel stories set in different times, one told in prose and one in pictures, converge as a girl unravels the mystery of the abandoned Thornhill Institute next door.

1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she’s left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.

2017: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl and solidify the link between them, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past.

Told in alternating, interwoven plotlines—Mary’s through intimate diary entries and Ella’s in bold, striking art—Pam Smy’s Thornhill is a haunting exploration of human connection, filled with suspense.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for Kids
A 2018 ALSC Notable Children's Book
A VOYA Top of the Shelf Pick

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    10 - 14 years
  2. Print length
    263 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    5 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    730L
  6. Publisher
    Roaring Brook Press
  7. Publication date
    August 29, 2017
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  12. ISBN-13
    978-1626726543
  13. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book will certainly pull lovers of ghost stories, narrative illustration and creepy dolls into its dark pages, to revel in its scares and ambiguities."―The New York Times Book Review

"Atmospheric and emotional in an understated way... Beautiful, moody, sad, and spooky―all at once."―Kirkus, starred review

"All levels of readers―from reluctant readers to adults―will find themselves flying through these pages"―VOYA, starred review

"This British import is a stunner"―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"A chilling tale that highlights the importance of kindness and child advocacy while emphasizing the lasting damage wrought by abuse and neglect."―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The suspenseful ghost story and the highly visual format make for an undeniable page-turner, but text and illustrations alike reward careful attention with telling details. Gothic fiction serves as inspiration for both the book’s style and the imaginations of its protagonists (check out the books and posters in Ella’s bedroom), and Smy does the genre proud.” ―Horn Book

“[An] intriguing ghost story with an ending that chills to the bone . . . An excellent selection for middle schoolers and reluctant readers.” ―School Library Journal

“Pam Smy has created a wonderful piece of work in Thornhill. The drawings are full of atmosphere, the words are full of tension and emotion all the more powerful for being so sparingly revealed. . . . A story of friendship and courage and of the power of black-and-white images. I think it’s terrific.” –Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials trilogy

About the Author

Pam Smy studied Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, part of Anglia Ruskin University, where she now lectures part-time. Pam has illustrated books by Conan Doyle (The Hound of the Baskervilles), Julia Donaldson (Follow the Swallow) and Kathy Henderson (Hush, Baby, Hush!), among others. She lives in Cambridge.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N80HZ25
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roaring Brook Press (August 29, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 29, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 137439 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 392 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Julia Kerninon

    Julia Kerninon

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
  2. Pam Smy

    Pam Smy

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Pam Smy is a Senior Lecturer Practitioner in Illustration on the MA Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. She combines her teaching career with writing and illustrating.

    She studied on the MA herself, graduating with the first cohort in 2004. Since then she has worked with a range of UK publishers including The Folio Society, Penguin Random House, David Fickling Books and Pavilion. She was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Prize in 2018 for her first novel, Thornhilll.

    Pam lives in Cambridge with her husband, author-illustrator Dave Shelton. Most early mornings you’ll see her walking her dog, Barney, along All Souls’ Lane into the graveyard that inspired her second novel, The Hideaway. When she isn’t walking the dog, teaching and illustrating, Pam loves watching movies and crime dramas, drawing in sketchbooks, reading novels, comics and picture books.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
392 global ratings
SO GOOD!
5 Stars
SO GOOD!
Dark, depressing, a really good story with great art. Definitely going to stay with me for awhile.
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Top reviews from the United States

Brianna Blasi
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Thornhill is an amazing book about a girl from the present named Ella, and a girl from the past named Mary. The story is told threw writing and pictures one representing the past and the other representing the present. The writing part is told threw diary entry’s by Mary and her experience in Thornhill. The illustrations are beautiful, telling the story from the present in this scratchy black and white art style. I chose with book for a school assignment and I’m happy I did. The cover really caught my attention because of the scary, dark mood of it all, and that scary, dark mood was carried threw out the entire book.
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K. Fitzsimmons
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2023
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Book was in perfect shape. Fast shipping would buy from again!
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Kay
4.0 out of 5 stars So dark. So beautiful. So not my cup of tea lol.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
To be honest, my review is more a 3.5 than a 4. I took off a star for the filler full black pages and half a star for how unlikable the main character is. On the other hand, the latter says more about the society I was raised in considering what happens to her in the book. I can't say much without spoiling the story but just know there's a reason behind every feeling someone invokes in you. Always question said feeling before misjudging. I digress. Thornhill is a book I wish I liked more but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. I did enjoy the very dark yet hopeful ending and the book itself is absolutely beautiful! For me, it's a great addition to my horror collection but not something I recommend to everyone. It's a book I would recommend to horror graphic novel collectors and people who like darker topics when it comes to children's books.

TW for suicide, child abuse, and graphic depictions of bullying.
One person found this helpful
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Chrissy R
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice duality of storytelling
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
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I bought this because I follow some fans of the Illustrator/Author on Instagram, and it looked interesting. I wasn't expecting anything going into this book and was really intrigued from the beginning.

A full read through this is about 2 hours -- which was surprising based on the heft of this book. I liked the interlude from writing to illustration, and how each storytelling method belonged exclusively to each character (Mary written, Ella drawn). My only criticism is that some key focal points of the illustrations were right in the binding fold.

I would recommend this. I'm not sure what age group this would be appropriate for, maybe 13 or 14? I'd suggest taking the two hours to read it first and use your discretion.
4 people found this helpful
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Teresa Dooley
5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy read
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2022
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I'm 49 and really enjoyed this book. Couldn't put it down once I started reading, but I am surprised that it's for children as it has a very dark story line.
One person found this helpful
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Brooke
3.0 out of 5 stars Eerie and dark.
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2018
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I agree with other reviewers on this one. The story holds your interest but it gets pretty dark. Wouldn’t recommend this for a kid.
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Dustin Hansen
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed the pace of Thornhill
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
The cover caught me, but when I held this book in my hands I tumbled in and devoured it in a single sitting. The writing is a little dark and musty, but in all the right ways. I really enjoyed the pace of Thornhill, and the illustrations, while in a similar voice, tell the story from a unique point of view.

If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman, then this hauntingly beautiful book is right up your alley. I highly recommend this book, and have even passed out copies to friends who I know would appreciate it as much as I did.
One person found this helpful
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eileen stapf
5.0 out of 5 stars Granddaughter enjoys reading
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019
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My granddaughter loved this book. She read it in one day. She seems to be interested in books with one person to see how they handle a situation. I bought her the whole sweep series and she is almost done with them. It’s important that you keep a young person interested in 📖 their mind gets to experience different aspects of life. She would like to be a writer someday.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Aile Lagunas
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting
Reviewed in Mexico on January 14, 2021
Verified Purchase
Illustrations are neat!
The story is really intriguing and it catches you immediately. The last part and the end was totally unexpected.
One person found this helpful
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Sissireadingbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Un roman graphique poignant qui aborde des sujets forts!
Reviewed in France on November 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Un roman graphique que j’ai lu en lecture commune très récemment lors du challenge des terreurs. C’est aussi une lecture idéal pour Halloween.

L’auteur nous plonge dans un univers sombre et très creepy où nous alternons entre Ella, qu’on suit uniquement a travers de très jolies illustrations et Mary, dont on peut en lire son journal intime. On y suit alors deux jeunes filles à deux époques différentes. En 1982, on découvre, l’histoire de Mary, une jeune orpheline pensionnaire de Thornhill. Elle est atteinte d’un mutisme et elle est harcelée par ses camarades. Le seul endroit où elle arrive a parler c’est a travers son journal que nous lisons. Elle vie recluse dans sa chambre et passe son temps à fabriquer des poupées.

En 2017, on découvre l’histoire de Ella via les illustrations. Elle vient d’emménager dans une maison près de Thornhill qui est maintenant a l’abandon. Elle vit seule avec son père qui passe tout son temps au travail. Alors qu’elle s’installe, elle remarque une ombre a l’une des fenêtre de Thornhill… curieuse elle va s’y intéressée.

J’ai lu ce roman en anglais. J’ai trouvé l’histoire très original. Elle est écrite sous deux formes, l’une sous forme de journal intime et l’autre en illustrations. J’ai adoré l’atmosphère que l’histoire y dégage. Au fur et a mesure qu’on tourne les pages, l’intrigue devient de plus en plus pesante jusqu’à un dénouement que j’ai trouvé très déstabilisant.

Pour résumer, une très jolie surprise. L’histoire est poignante et aborde des sujets forts. J’ai eu la gorge serrée jusqu’à la toute fin. De plus, c’est vraiment un très beau objet-livre. Un petit bijou sombre que je vous recommande de découvrir.
Customer image
Sissireadingbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Un roman graphique poignant qui aborde des sujets forts!
Reviewed in France on November 6, 2021
Un roman graphique que j’ai lu en lecture commune très récemment lors du challenge des terreurs. C’est aussi une lecture idéal pour Halloween.

L’auteur nous plonge dans un univers sombre et très creepy où nous alternons entre Ella, qu’on suit uniquement a travers de très jolies illustrations et Mary, dont on peut en lire son journal intime. On y suit alors deux jeunes filles à deux époques différentes. En 1982, on découvre, l’histoire de Mary, une jeune orpheline pensionnaire de Thornhill. Elle est atteinte d’un mutisme et elle est harcelée par ses camarades. Le seul endroit où elle arrive a parler c’est a travers son journal que nous lisons. Elle vie recluse dans sa chambre et passe son temps à fabriquer des poupées.

En 2017, on découvre l’histoire de Ella via les illustrations. Elle vient d’emménager dans une maison près de Thornhill qui est maintenant a l’abandon. Elle vit seule avec son père qui passe tout son temps au travail. Alors qu’elle s’installe, elle remarque une ombre a l’une des fenêtre de Thornhill… curieuse elle va s’y intéressée.

J’ai lu ce roman en anglais. J’ai trouvé l’histoire très original. Elle est écrite sous deux formes, l’une sous forme de journal intime et l’autre en illustrations. J’ai adoré l’atmosphère que l’histoire y dégage. Au fur et a mesure qu’on tourne les pages, l’intrigue devient de plus en plus pesante jusqu’à un dénouement que j’ai trouvé très déstabilisant.

Pour résumer, une très jolie surprise. L’histoire est poignante et aborde des sujets forts. J’ai eu la gorge serrée jusqu’à la toute fin. De plus, c’est vraiment un très beau objet-livre. Un petit bijou sombre que je vous recommande de découvrir.
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Einna
5.0 out of 5 stars Super
Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
Super bon livre. Seule chose, le côté des pages n'est pas censé être noire?
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Simone Hiemann
5.0 out of 5 stars Jede Sekunde des Lesens genossen!
Reviewed in Germany on November 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Sehr schöne Geschichte, spannend und etwas gruselig. Sehr fesselnd. Illustrationen liebevoll und durch den Stil mit hohem Wiedererkennungswert ausgezeichnet. Auch schön zum potentiellen wiederlesen gemacht.
One person found this helpful
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Scrooge McDuck
5.0 out of 5 stars A sad story of loneliness and despair
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Well, I know what my favorite book of the year is.

Thornhill is told across two timelines, detailing the lives of two lonely girls separated by 35 years. Mary, in 1982, narrates her time of misery and bullying in the Thornhill children's home through her unhappy diary entries, while Ella in 2017 exists as a wordless illustration, looking out at the abandoned Thornhill estate from her bedroom window. There she sees the apparition of a strange girl and is lured into an unfolding mystery in the absence of loving parents.

The atmosphere in Thornhill is perfectly gloomy for reading on a dark, rainy November night. You can stare at the illustrations for ages just soaking in the darkness during Ella's story or imagine Mary, lost and alone, staring out her own bedroom window at the house that Ella will live in 35 years later. Though separated by time, both girls belong together in a world without caring adults. There's so much sadness and melancholy in Thornhill it will never make you feel good. But if you ever felt a pang of loneliness I am sure that there is much in this story that you will find familiar, however downbeat it may be.
8 people found this helpful
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