Eden's Everdark by Karen Strong is a Southern gothic middle grade story filled with the spirits of Eden's ancestors who are held captive by the Witch of Everdark. But let's start at the beginning: Eden is grieving as her mother unexpectedly passed. As she's never been to the small southern island where her mother's family still live, her father and Eden plan a visit. While there she accidentally follows a black cat into an alternative universe ruled by the Witch of Everdark, a place she realizes her mother also visited. Will Eden escape the Witch's clutches? This beautiful book covers heavy subjects like grief and the legacy of enslaving people with subtle sophistication.