The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery

Frantz, Eva, Sandström, Elin (Illustrator), and Prime, Annie (Translator)
The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery
October 12, 2023 by Pushkin Children's Book 

Flora Winter and her mother, Linn, rent a cottage in the Swedish countryside for winter break in 1975. Ms. Winter is a writer, and since Flora's father has passed away, some quiet time to work in the country seems like a good change of pace. They are on the von Hiems estate, where the manor has been abandoned since a tregedy in 1925. Fridolf, who has rented the property to them, lives in the Washhouse. Flora is fascinated by the manor, and daydreams about living there as she investigates the property. There is even a garden labyrinth, and Flora asks if she would be able to clean the flower beds around the house as a project. She does here odd voices that seem to call to her, catches glimpses of shadowy figures, and befriends a local boy, Egon, who seems to come and go very quickly. After Fridolf slips on the snow and has to go into the hospital, Flora becomes more interested than ever in the history of the estate. She pokes around in the attic and finds a hatbox with a hat that fits her perfectly, and once again hears whispers. She finds out that the von Hiems family ran a local glassworks factory, and also that people in the town are interested in tearing the manor down in order to boost the areas appeal as a summer destination. We get to see some of the family history unfold in 1925, although Flora does not. Rigmor (called Riggy) was the gardener's daughter and nanny of the von Hiems' youngest child, and fell in love with the oldest son, Robby. He was supposed to marry the daughter of the rival Marton family. This is the same family trying to tear down the estate in 1975. Robby and Riggy continue their romance, and when Riggy is expecting, they know this will be quite the scandal. Flora, who doesn't know this, is researching the house at the local library, and runs into other girls who live in the town. There are rumors of a treasure hidden in the manor, and Flora, who has fallen in love with the place, is determined to find it. When information surfaces linking her family to the von Hiems, will this help Flora and her mother be able to give up their life in the city and settles in the country?

Strengths: In the 1970s, there must have been an inordinate amount of long abandoned houses, because I remember reading books that were very similar to this one. Curry's Poor Tom's Ghost, Arthur's A Candle in Her Room, McKillip's The House on Parchment Street, Snyder's The Ghosts of Stone Hollow-- there seemed to be a lot of books where there were ghosts, some time travel, family secrets, and general light creepiness. Helmersbruk Manor would have been right at home with these other tales, so I love the fact that it was set in 1975. Since this was written recently (and translated from the Swedish), it's not surprising that Flora's father had died, but this does give her a lot of opportunity to investigate the estate while her mother is writing. We get a lot of family history and some intrigue, as well as some ghostly time travel. There's also a bit of Christmas involved, both in the setting of the book and in the timing of the historical tragedy. I was drawn right into the book, and, like Flora, really wanted to investigate the manor! 
Weaknesses: This was fairly slow paced, and I'm not sure how middle school students are going to feel about the Riggy/Robby romance, and the resultant baby. My readers are most interested in murderous ghosts, and the ghosts in this book are all pretty tame. 
What I really need: This is a slightly eerie, atmospheric ghost story that will make fans of Chalfoun's The Treasure of Maria Mamoun, Bowman's Where the Lost Ones Go, or Burch's Finch House happy.