June 2, 2026 by Aladdin
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Since Frankie's step mother Deb doesn't want to return to Maine and stay at the inn run by her best friend Parker's family for the summer, Frankie comes up with another plan. She and Parker will both apply to be Leaders in Training at Camp Asticou, near Parker's home. Since the LITs work with younger campers, there's no charge, so both families agree. After their mystery solving adventures in The Ghosts of Spruce Point, Frankie and Parker are well aware of the creepy aspects of this wooded Maine environment. The camp has a legend about the Bride of Rippowam, that concerns a young woman, Eugenie, in 1635. She fell in love with a sailor named Raleigh, but ended up falling off a cliff to her death. Her spirit is said to haunt Walker Pond, causing unusual cold and other eerie phenomenon. The LITs, which include Stacy, Nolan, Ivy, are headed by counselors Josh and Zara, and are put in charge of the Sparrows, the youngest group of campers. Darius, whose parents have some social media fame, is glad to be relatively unknown, and Frankie thinks he is rather cute. Frankie forms a special bond with Sparrow Jessy, who has a locket around her neck which seems to tie her to the history of Eugenie. When the LITs are investigating the legend, they find Eugenie's diary from 1635 in the damp stone cottage that houses the camp's Little Free Library. They learn secrets about her past, and try to unravel what might be keeping her spirit tethered to the area. The investigations involve them sneaking out at night and breaking many camp rules, which gets them in trouble, but Frankie knows that it is important to take care of Eugenie's spirit before she causes any tragedies at the camp. Will the LITs succeed?
Strengths: Summer camp is an enthralling premise for readers who might not get the chance to go to one, and there are always local legends about scary things that are told around the camp fire. What if those ghost stories are true? Frankie and Parker know their way around a mystery, and make a good team. It's fun to see them interact with other counselors as well as the younger campers, as they try to figure out why Eugenie's ghost is haunting the pond. I especially liked Frankie's interactions with her father and stepmother, who married Frankie's father when she was very young, after the death of her mother. Frankie has few memories of her mother, but the ones she has are firmly tied to the natural environment of Maine. Her relationship with Darius is very sweet; adding a bit of romance in a middle grade book is always a good idea. Eugenie is a devious ghost, and while not exactly murderous, is certainly not benign. There was a nice balance between doing things against the rules and having consequences for them, and the ending was happy and positive.
Weaknesses: I didn't believe that children would find and read a 100 year old diary in Ford's The Lonely Ghost, so I couldn't believe that an almost 400 year old book would have survived unbothered in a damp stone cottage. Also, the campers were sent out in the dark on a lot of team building exercises, which seemed dangerous.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked the eerie shivers of Burch's Camp Twisted Pine, Berk and Mitchell's Camp Murderface, or Murphy's Camp Sylvania.
Since Frankie's step mother Deb doesn't want to return to Maine and stay at the inn run by her best friend Parker's family for the summer, Frankie comes up with another plan. She and Parker will both apply to be Leaders in Training at Camp Asticou, near Parker's home. Since the LITs work with younger campers, there's no charge, so both families agree. After their mystery solving adventures in The Ghosts of Spruce Point, Frankie and Parker are well aware of the creepy aspects of this wooded Maine environment. The camp has a legend about the Bride of Rippowam, that concerns a young woman, Eugenie, in 1635. She fell in love with a sailor named Raleigh, but ended up falling off a cliff to her death. Her spirit is said to haunt Walker Pond, causing unusual cold and other eerie phenomenon. The LITs, which include Stacy, Nolan, Ivy, are headed by counselors Josh and Zara, and are put in charge of the Sparrows, the youngest group of campers. Darius, whose parents have some social media fame, is glad to be relatively unknown, and Frankie thinks he is rather cute. Frankie forms a special bond with Sparrow Jessy, who has a locket around her neck which seems to tie her to the history of Eugenie. When the LITs are investigating the legend, they find Eugenie's diary from 1635 in the damp stone cottage that houses the camp's Little Free Library. They learn secrets about her past, and try to unravel what might be keeping her spirit tethered to the area. The investigations involve them sneaking out at night and breaking many camp rules, which gets them in trouble, but Frankie knows that it is important to take care of Eugenie's spirit before she causes any tragedies at the camp. Will the LITs succeed?
Strengths: Summer camp is an enthralling premise for readers who might not get the chance to go to one, and there are always local legends about scary things that are told around the camp fire. What if those ghost stories are true? Frankie and Parker know their way around a mystery, and make a good team. It's fun to see them interact with other counselors as well as the younger campers, as they try to figure out why Eugenie's ghost is haunting the pond. I especially liked Frankie's interactions with her father and stepmother, who married Frankie's father when she was very young, after the death of her mother. Frankie has few memories of her mother, but the ones she has are firmly tied to the natural environment of Maine. Her relationship with Darius is very sweet; adding a bit of romance in a middle grade book is always a good idea. Eugenie is a devious ghost, and while not exactly murderous, is certainly not benign. There was a nice balance between doing things against the rules and having consequences for them, and the ending was happy and positive.
Weaknesses: I didn't believe that children would find and read a 100 year old diary in Ford's The Lonely Ghost, so I couldn't believe that an almost 400 year old book would have survived unbothered in a damp stone cottage. Also, the campers were sent out in the dark on a lot of team building exercises, which seemed dangerous.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked the eerie shivers of Burch's Camp Twisted Pine, Berk and Mitchell's Camp Murderface, or Murphy's Camp Sylvania.
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