3.5 Stars
I must begin
by stating that I am no expert on Teen Fiction.
I am considerably older than the
intended audience of 10 – 15-year-olds, and I have no memory of ever liking
ghost stories, so I am not the best reviewer of this book. I read it because it was written by a friend
and former colleague. With those provisos,
here’s my review:
Twelve-year-old
Neil Wybred arrives at summer camp with
his best friend Adam. The week has the usual fun activities, but Neil is soon
pre-occupied with other things: why are
odd things happening in Cabin 5, why are his athletic feats strangely sabotaged,
and who is that “old geezer . . . [who] was wearing old, raggedy clothing and
had long scraggly hair and a beard” (15) whom no one else seems to see? Neil and Adam and their friend Ally discover
secret tunnels which seem to have some connection to the strange happenings at
Camp McAbre. But the trio must
investigate while avoiding the watchful eyes of the camp director, Charles
Atrom.
The book
opens with sufficient suspense to catch the reader’s interest. The opening mentions a “lonesome figure” (5) waiting
at the camp, and the first chapter ends with Neil’s brother warning him, “’Make
sure you don’t get stuck in Cabin 5.
Seriously’” (8). Within the first
ten pages, Neil twice spies a mysterious figure who just seems to
evaporate. From there, the plot moves at
a quick pace.
Neil and
Adam are clearly differentiated: Neil is the brave one whereas Adam is his
foil, being constantly nervous and fearful.
Unfortunately, they do not emerge as fully round characters. The other cabin-mates and campers remain largely
opaque, though the touches of humour added by the Chung brothers are welcome. The inclusion of Ally is a nice touch,
extending the appeal of the book to girls, especially when it is mentioned that
“both boys had not-so-secret crushes on Ally” (7).
There are
some unanswered questions which are problematic for me. Why is Neil the camper chosen by the ghost to
be his “contact”? Neil first sees the
eerie apparition staring at him when he’s on the bus enroute to the camp so how
can the ghost know that Neil is curious and courageous, the two traits he needs
to have? Why can another person “neither
see nor hear Arnold Popchuck” (175) even though that person is of especial interest
to him?
And there
are some other events that indicate plot weaknesses. Adam claims to win a race because he was so
angry at Neil, yet there is nothing in the earlier conversation between the
boys that indicates Adam was so upset. Later
the three sleuths are told by the camp director to report to the campfire after
their walk (111), yet they return directly to the cabin (118) and risk Mr.
Atrom’s wrath? Ally does something in
the tunnel for which no explanation is given (136); her action becomes
important later so a logical motive should be provided. Why is
everyone struck silent by the ghost when one of the group cannot see or
hear the ghost (175)?
The book
should appeal to young teens and might be especially useful for reluctant middle-grade
readers. The plot does not drag, and there
is a lot of dialogue and no unnecessary lengthy description that might be a turn-off. There is considerable suspense so interest
should not lag. My only reservation is
those unanswered questions and plot inconsistencies, but perhaps they would not
be noticed by young readers?
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