a NYPL Best Book of the Year, 2012

available now from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

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Praise for Cavendish:

“The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is weirdly charming and creepy. I loved the intrepid girl hero Victoria and her determination to save her best friend from the scariest Home ever. An enormously fun–and shivery–read.” – Sarah Prineas, author of The Magic Thief series

“A heartwarming friendship tale . . . A thoroughgoing ickfest, elevated by vulnerable but resilient young characters and capped by a righteously ominous closing twist.” – Kirkus Starred Review

“The too-serene-to-be-true town of Belleville harbors some creepy secrets in Legrand’s debut, a sinister and occasionally playful tale of suspense. . . . Legrand gives Victoria’s mission a prickly energy, and her descriptions of the sighing, heaving home—a character in itself—are the stuff of bad dreams.” – Publishers Weekly

“Insidiously creepy, searingly sinister, and spine-tinglingly fun, this book also presents a powerful message about friendship and the value of individuality.” – School Library Journal

“The combination of the Stepford-like town and the atmospheric home provide a deliciously creepy backdrop to this precise blend of dark humor and genuine horror. . . . Victoria is . . . oddly endearing, and readers with their own color-coordinated planners will thrill to see her leadership skills and sheer determination save the day.” – Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

” . . . an amazingly fun and creepy read . . . a beautifully written, gleefully horrific novel that is perfect for readers young and old. . . . this is Horror, yes. But Horror with a Heart.” - The Book Smugglers

“[Mrs.] Cavendish is a villain reminiscent of Miss Trunchbull from Matilda, with her sense of duty to improve unruly children and her mechanisms for punishing them. Legrand’s third-person narrative adopts a proper, know-it-all attitude for Victoria’s story, which makes for a hilarious read-aloud. Watching the heroine grow throughout the novel may well inspire readers to accept others, despite their oddities; it’s a theme sounded in an entertaining fashion. Readers will anticipate Claire Legrand’s next flight of fancy.” – Shelf Awareness

“The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is funny, compelling, and seriously, deeply creepy . . . First-time novelist Claire Legrand is an excellent, imaginative writer . . . “ – Common Sense Media

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Read the first chapter!

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coming August 27, 2013 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

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Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year.

Her mother left, her neglectful father — the maestro of a failing orchestra — has moved her and her grandmother into his dark, broken-down concert hall to save money, and her only friend is Igor, an ornery stray cat.

Just when she thinks life couldn’t get any weirder, she meets four ghosts who haunt the hall. They need Olivia’s help — if the hall is torn down, they’ll be stuck as ghosts forever, never able to move on.

Olivia has to do the impossible for her shadowy new friends: Save the concert hall. But helping the dead has powerful consequences for the living . . . and soon it’s not just the concert hall that needs saving.

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pre-order now from

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