MY RATING:
Synopsis:
An eerie middle grade mystery debut that follows a young girl who returns home to find the people of her little town, including her best friend, chillingly changed after the arrival of the prim and proper Gingham family. “A rip-roaring adventure, but more importantly, a kids’ power ballad to the importance of being yourself.” —New York Times-bestselling author Gordon Korman
Read More:
When 12-year-old Joni Bird returns home from summer camp, it’s clear something strange is afoot in Olive Springs. May, her usually head-banging best friend, now wears her hair in a tight bun and calls playing the drums “unladylike.” The ice cream shop only serves vanilla ice cream. The women and girls of the neighborhood all sport big pearl earrings and crisp cotton dresses. At the heart of it all? The creepy new family in the neighborhood with their soulless, carnival smiles and retro fashion sense: the Ginghams. Everyone they invite to their Thursday night book club re-emerges as dead-eyed, smiling, Gingham-approved “model citizens,” all thanks to Mr. Gingham’s lifestyle guide, The Pillars of Perfection—and something even more sinister hidden behind his basement door. Through quick thinking and cunning, Joni and her friend Tyler set out to fight not only to get their friend May back, but to save their whole town from forever falling under the Ginghams’ control.
- Pages: 240
- Genre: Middle-Grade/Mystery
- Publication date: July 28, 2026 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
- Format: Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover
- Source: eARC, Toppling Stacks Tours, NetGalley
PURCHASE LINKS & BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
TOUR SCHEDULE
THE REVIEW:
This one was a solid middle-grade book for me. It hooked me from the beginning, and I enjoyed it a lot.
We follow 12-year-old Joni as she returns home from summer camp and notices something weird is going on in her home town. Her friend May and her mother are not acting like themselves, and there is a new family in town that is very suspicious… But what is really going on and why is everybody suddenly acting out of character is something that Joni and her friend Tyler have to figure out.
I really liked the writing style and the mystery surrounding the whole plot. Although it was predictable to older readers like me, I think the younger audience would enjoy discovering and unravelling the truth as they read much more.
The characters were interesting and well developed for the intended audience, and I can easily see younger readers connecting with the main characters.
I appreciated that there were heavier undertones, though some were only briefly mentioned, and given that it is a middle-grade book, I deem it appropriate for the amount it covered. Some of the topics include: book bans, brainwashing, control and manipulation, extreme ideology and some more.
For some reason, this book is under the Horror category. I can assure you this is not the case; it is definitely Mystery and Middle-Grade. Overall a solid 4 stars read for me that I highly recommend!
I love the cover!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
T.C. Kemper is an American author of sparky kidlit and speculative fiction. When she’s not sipping peppermint tea sweetened with local honey or hiking woodland trails with her family and rescue pup, she’s likely lost in a beautifully crafted story. Upcoming release: THE GINGHAMS (Henry Holt BFYR/Macmillan Children’s): a fresh, middle grade twist on THE STEPFORD WIVES, with book banners as villains, A.I.-powered mind control, and a friendship breakup. This spooky sci-fi is full of spine-tingling surprises!
Lin's Perspective 
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