The House Under the House

Eleven-year-old Albertine is rather transparent and fragile; a discreet and diabetic student, she struggles to find her place among the teenagers at school, where she is bullied.

Fortunately, with her colorful family, there is so much love and whimsy that she doesn't have much time to worry about it.

The latest whim: this strange house her mother decided to move into. A fairytale house for children, teeming with mysteries from the cellar to the attic. And in the cellar, precisely...

In the cellar... there is a door that only Albertine has found: a door that leads to the Underworld and its inhabitants.

📖 Review from Librairie du Grimoire Ancien

By our editorial & librarian committee

Émilie Chazerand, with La Maison sous la Maison, beautifully illustrated by Marion Arbona and published by Sarbacane, delivers a children's novel that subtly blends social realism with initiatory fantasy. This story follows Albertine, an eleven-year-old discreet and diabetic student who is bullied at school, as she discovers a secret door leading to the Underworld.

The strength of this novel lies in its ability to accurately address difficult themes—school bullying, chronic illness, the quest for identity—while offering a fantastic escape that is never a flight, but a path to empowerment. The "fairytale house for children, teeming with mysteries" becomes a metaphor for the inner worlds and hidden resources that everyone carries within themselves.

The Underworld that Albertine discovers behind the secret door evokes the great classics of children's fantasy literature (Alice, Narnia, Coraline) while offering a contemporary and singular voice. Albertine's "colorful" family, full of love and whimsy, provides a comforting counterpoint to her school difficulties.

We recommend this novel to young readers (9-12 years old) going through difficult times, to parents and educators sensitive to bullying issues, and to all who believe in the liberating power of imagination. A tender and courageous read.

Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A children's novel that subtly and tenderly blends social realism with initiatory fantasy.