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bickie's review against another edition
4.0
In June 2015, the summer before 7th grade, Maren is shuffled off to the theater camp where her older sister, Hadley, has been a fixture since she was young. Hadley has always taken up a lot of space in the house, leading Maren to mostly keep to herself and try to be more or less invisible. When Hadley went away to college, Maren finally had room to expand, but that did not last long.
Maren has a rocky start at camp after an awkward non-good-bye with her dad, whom she calls Ed and with whom she has a difficult relationship. Navigating mean girl Allegra and her two minions, and bunking with fellow new camper Theo, a loud and proud (with ADHD-like behavior at times) non-binary aspiring filmmaker who immediately becomes the target of Allegra's bullying, Maren becomes engaged in a kind of treasure hunt with mysterious clues that seem left specifically for her, taken from the text of Twelfth Night, the play the camp is performing this year.
Alternating chapters with Maren's experience is Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman's story, taking place two generations before, in 1940s/1950s Hollywood. Try as she might, Charlie just cannot be like her perfect, sweet, kind, beautiful younger sister, Rosalie, and everyone they meet seems to know that right away. Touching on the House Un-American Committee, the importance of free speech, and the Lavender Scare, Charlie's arc provides some background filmmaking and LGBTQ+ history. It also provides the basis of the legend of a missing huge diamond ring, the object of Maren's treasure hunt.
I was surprised at first that Maren's timeline was set in June 2015 rather than closer to the timeframe of the novel's publishing (2022), but it all made sense at the end.
An engaging mystery with a (perhaps surprising) twist at the end and a kind of encore once the baddie is neutralized.
The novel is followed by a note on "Some Facts in the Fiction" and "Bonus Material: A conversation on gender diversity" between the author and Jennifer Fedmann, MD, an Adolescent Gender Health practitioner which contains resources including for mental health crisis.
Head scratchers for me:
A female film director (a real historical figure) is referred to as "Ms. Arzner" in 1940, which felt like an anachronism. Upon further research, it appears that the term "Ms." was referred to as early as 1901 in print, and perhaps Arzner used it; it would certainly fit with the nature of her work and personality. However, none of the biographies on line that I read mentioned that she used this honorific, which would have been noteworthy before 1970.
The obsession of the baddie with finding the ring seemed maniacal and a little hard to understand.
Spoiler
Hadley fails her first semester in college, experiencing severe depression; she is now in in-patient treatment and taking up so much time that their parents think Maren needs to be away for a while.Maren has a rocky start at camp after an awkward non-good-bye with her dad, whom she calls Ed and with whom she has a difficult relationship. Navigating mean girl Allegra and her two minions, and bunking with fellow new camper Theo, a loud and proud (with ADHD-like behavior at times) non-binary aspiring filmmaker who immediately becomes the target of Allegra's bullying, Maren becomes engaged in a kind of treasure hunt with mysterious clues that seem left specifically for her, taken from the text of Twelfth Night, the play the camp is performing this year.
Alternating chapters with Maren's experience is Charlotte "Charlie" Goodman's story, taking place two generations before, in 1940s/1950s Hollywood. Try as she might, Charlie just cannot be like her perfect, sweet, kind, beautiful younger sister, Rosalie, and everyone they meet seems to know that right away. Touching on the House Un-American Committee, the importance of free speech, and the Lavender Scare, Charlie's arc provides some background filmmaking and LGBTQ+ history. It also provides the basis of the legend of a missing huge diamond ring, the object of Maren's treasure hunt.
I was surprised at first that Maren's timeline was set in June 2015 rather than closer to the timeframe of the novel's publishing (2022), but it all made sense at the end.
An engaging mystery with a (perhaps surprising) twist at the end and a kind of encore once the baddie is neutralized.
The novel is followed by a note on "Some Facts in the Fiction" and "Bonus Material: A conversation on gender diversity" between the author and Jennifer Fedmann, MD, an Adolescent Gender Health practitioner which contains resources including for mental health crisis.
Head scratchers for me:
A female film director (a real historical figure) is referred to as "Ms. Arzner" in 1940, which felt like an anachronism. Upon further research, it appears that the term "Ms." was referred to as early as 1901 in print, and perhaps Arzner used it; it would certainly fit with the nature of her work and personality. However, none of the biographies on line that I read mentioned that she used this honorific, which would have been noteworthy before 1970.
Spoiler
A camper who is allergic to bee stings gets stung (in an attempted murder situation), and simply uses an EpiPen to avoid anaphylaxis; typically, if the allergy was indeed that severe, the patient would follow up the EpiPen with a visit to the ER. It's possible he received care from EMTs between the sting and when he joins back up with Maren.The obsession of the baddie with finding the ring seemed maniacal and a little hard to understand.
astronomica's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
oli_bucket's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
I really enjoyed this book, and once I finally got more into it, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the little treasure hunt, and I didn’t even put more of the pieces together until near the very end. As a middle grade book, I didn’t find it to be too immature at the same time, with the characters and storyline very enjoyable. I’m looking forward to recommending this book to students, and honestly even some peers.
faylander's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed how this book touched on deep topics revolving LGBTQ+, gender, mental health, family dynamics, and sense of self, while keeping the mystery and story light and fun.
readingbyte's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
libscote's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Maren is going to theater camp this summer even though theater is really more of her sister's thing. Something has happened to her sister though, and it seems to be taking up most of the energy of her divorced parents. She's feeling alone. Slowly she befriends her nonbinary bunkmate Theo, and learns about a mystery involving a ring and a former owner of the theater. Maren also learns that the theater has something to offer her as well, whether she wants to be on stage or off. I like the way this book weaves in Shakespeare and a mystery and dealing with family dynamics.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt
emilyrbedwell's review against another edition
3.0
Review
Maren’s sister is struggling with depression after her first year of college. Maren feels like a burden to everyone, but that doesn’t mean she really wants to spend the summer at her sister’s favorite summer camp. But, when she’s dropped off, she is dropped into a mystery maybe only she can solve – is there a ghost at camp? Is there someone out there trying to find a mysterious treasure that might save the camp from financial ruin?
As a theater kid myself, I thought this was a fun summer mystery that will keep kids entertained but won’t scare them too much. Listed as middle grade, I would definitely say it’s for older middle school kids. It deals a great deal with identity, gender fluidity, and finding who you are. I thought the main story of Maren, Theo, Graham and their goofy friendship and hunt for the treasure were great fun. Incorporating Charlie’s story provided a solid background for the camp, the treasure, and the real jewel of the story – finding and embracing who you really are.
Maren’s sister is struggling with depression after her first year of college. Maren feels like a burden to everyone, but that doesn’t mean she really wants to spend the summer at her sister’s favorite summer camp. But, when she’s dropped off, she is dropped into a mystery maybe only she can solve – is there a ghost at camp? Is there someone out there trying to find a mysterious treasure that might save the camp from financial ruin?
As a theater kid myself, I thought this was a fun summer mystery that will keep kids entertained but won’t scare them too much. Listed as middle grade, I would definitely say it’s for older middle school kids. It deals a great deal with identity, gender fluidity, and finding who you are. I thought the main story of Maren, Theo, Graham and their goofy friendship and hunt for the treasure were great fun. Incorporating Charlie’s story provided a solid background for the camp, the treasure, and the real jewel of the story – finding and embracing who you really are.
plaidpladd's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great middle grade mystery! I'm a sucker for stories with treasure hunts that involve a series of puzzles and also anything set at a weird summer camp. Plus all the Shakespeare references!
julieabe89's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a delightfully warm mystery novel full of diverse characters and found family. I adored every minute of it and it's heartwarming interactions with the kids. I could not get enough.