Camp Creepy: 03/05/23

Camp Creepy by Kiersten White (2023) is the third of the Sinister Summer middle grade mystery books. Going on a clue found in a book at the Spa, the Sinister-Winterbottoms head to Camp Creek. Although they plan just to snoop and leave, circumstances leave the twins as campers and Wil as a counselor!

Something is changing the personalities of the campers and counselors. Everyone speaks in happy exclamations! Everyone enjoys everything. Everyone works together. Everyone gets good sleep. Everyone is always smiling.

To me, the camp reminds me of the one Wednesday Addams is sent to in Addams Family Values (1993). Except, maybe, worse. Or orthogonally bad.

The Wretched Waterpark (2022) was an homage to Jane Eyre (1847). The Vampiric Vacation was even more clearly a nod to Dracula (1897). This third volume draws inspiration from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).

As the Sinister-Winterbottoms have gone from place to place they have learned more about a larger problem at hand. Their parents' sudden departure is probably related to whatever or whomever have taken many of the other parents of children they've met along the way. As each of these kids has a want and need to find their parents, the overall tone of these novels and their placement on the Road Narrative Spectrum changes.

The siblings and the other children and Edgar who is a teen like Wil, collectively are scarecrows (protectors) (99). They are going up against Edgaren't and the other adults who have taken over while the parents are missing. These adults are the minotaurs in this dichotomy.

Like the previous book, their destination is the wildlands. From a mountain spa to a lakeside summer camp (99). Their route, though, this time is the tkaronto (FF) as described by their walk through the trees near the lake.

As the stakes are much higher than they seemed in the first two books, the twins are now finally working more closely with Wil. She has been sitting on some key information that changes the nature of these books. It also, though, confirms that there is magic or at least supernatural things afoot.

The fourth book is Menacing Manor which is scheduled for release on May 2, 2023.

Five stars

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