In the middle of a night marked by “urgency and candles,” the siblings are transported to a mysterious home to stay with equally mysterious maternal aunt, Saffronia Sinister, who “by all appearances, had never encountered an actual human child before.” Telling them to “find what was lost,” she drops them off at the Victorian-flavored, unusually grim Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, which features a slide named Oblivion and a wave pool called Cold, Unknowable Sea.

Reminded me of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events which is pretty good company to have in a story.Twelve-year-old twins Theodora and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom, and their 16-year-old sister Wilhelmina, encounter the summer-vacation unexpected via White’s (the Camelot Rising trilogy) archly told, gleefully macabre series opener.

It will though cause young readers to read more.

The creepiness factor is not enough to cause nightmares.

Thankfully, the author has hit the mark in this mystery that will surely appeal to 8-12 year olds.

I’m always a bit wary when an adult/YA author switches course to take a shot at Middle Grade.Although the main plot points were answered there are still enough loose ends to entice readers back for more in Book 2.Alexander and Theo are very different but they support each other no matter what. The summer is off to a great start!įIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT WRETCHED WATERPARK The first tale in this enticing series will be followed by Vampiric Vacation in September. I’m not giving away any spoilers to keep the story fresh in case you decide to give this one a go. The third person narration in WRETCHED WATERPARK is filled with humor and the mystery unfolds in a fast paced fashion. Wil frequently disappears on her own, being more interested in her phone and Edgar, a boy she meets at the park. The more adventurous Theo makes a great pairing as these two try and figure out who is in the watch tower and why this place seems more intent on making sure guests never want to come back.

Sounds fun until their visit turns into quite the mystery with people disappearing, terrible food choices, and some pretty wild rides.Īlexander is the cautious, rule following twin who also hates water slides.

The only thing she cares about is making sure they use the week long passes she got for them at the local waterpark. Along with their older sister Wil, they’ve been sent off in the middle of the night by their parents to live with Aunt Saffronia, a supposed relative they never knew existed. Alexander and Theo Sinister-Winterbottom are 12-year old twins.

Wretched waterpark by kiersten white