Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Wil, Theo, and Alexander are not happy that their parents suddenly uprooted them from their home and summer plans and told them they must stay with Aunt Saffronia for the whole summer. They've never even heard of Aunt Saffronia before this, and they don't remember driving to her house or even most rooms in her house. Aunt Saffronia also doesn't know how much to feed them or what to do with them so she decides to drop them off a waterpark. She picks them up every night, but they have a weeklong pass so they go every day, all day. This park is unusual. It has dark, creepy decor, no churros much to Theo's dismay, and mysterious people. However, the slides are epically awesome according to Theo but Alexander only dares to try them once. Soon they discover one of the owners of the park is missing after going into the wave pool. With nothing better to do, they try to solve the mystery. Even stranger, the other park-goers slowly decrease and decrease until they are the only ones in the whole park. Will they solve the mystery and find Mr. Widow?

Setting: a mysterious unknown location

Characters:
Wilhelmina Sinister-Winterbottom - AKA Wil, 16 yo, literally doesn't take her eyes off her phone except occasionally to talk to a boy, adopted
Rodrigo - Wil's phone, Wil's 3rd favorite member of the family
Theodora Sinister-Winterbottom - AKA Theo, 12 yo
Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom - Theo's twin
Aunt Saffronia - mysterious, doesn't know how much kids should eat, drops them off and picks them up
Edgar - works at the waterpark, helps the siblings in a friendly way, Wil has a crush on him

Recurring Themes: mystery, bravery

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: The right mix of adventurous, creepy, and mysterious with character development. Wil's obsession with her phone was exaggerated to the point that it was funny.

Genre: mystery, fantasy (some of the characters seem like they are vampires who can't be out in the sunshine but it never says sit)

Pacing: fast-medium
Characters: fairly well-developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:

Readalikes: sly, dry humor, omniscient presence, dash of evilness = Series of Unfortunate Events ( )

I think a lot of middle schoolers will enjoy reading this new series, especially if they are fans of a Series of Unfortunate Events. Wil, Theo and Alexander are three siblings who find themselves spending the summer with their very strange Aunt. They have no recollection of how they arrived at her house or where their parents are. However, they soon find themselves trying to solve some stranger disappearances at an even stranger water park. I thought the book was entertaining and I enjoyed the humor. I believe the following books in the series will shed more light on why these siblings have been separated from their parents and what needs to be done in order to make it back home. I received a complimentary ebook from Netgalley.com ( )

children's fiction (4th-6thgr?) - lemony snicketesque adventure, but with Kiersten White's delightfully snarky humor.

follows 12 y.o. twin siblings Theo (Theodora) and Alexander through an adventure in a strange and creepy water park with their adopted 16 y.o, sister Wil (Wilhelmina) after they are inexplicably and suddenly left in the custody of their cryptic/puzzled aunt for the summer. ( )

“The Sinister-Winterbottoms are looking forward to a family summer, but their parents abruptly change the plans in the middle of the night. Twelve-year-old twins Alexander and Theodora and their older sister Wilhelmina are dropped off with Aunt Saffronia, now stranded at a strange house in the care of a relative they’ve never met for the next few months. It quickly becomes clear she has no experience with children so her suggestion to visit a waterpark is eagerly accepted . . . until the siblings arrive at the front gates and realize Fathoms of Fun is equally as strange as their new accommodations. There are coffins instead of inner tubes and mausoleums instead of cabanas; the waterslides are tongues jutting out of the mouths of gargoyles sitting atop a tall, dark tower. Alexander, Theo, and Wil try their best to enjoy the vacation they’ve been handed, but the kookiness is too much to ignore and leads them to a disturbing mystery: The waterpark owner disappeared inside the Cold, Unknowable Sea, otherwise known as the wave pool. When Wil goes missing following a lead, the twins are left to sleuth on their own. Will they be able to save their sister and the waterpark before it’s too late?”

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Random House Children’s Books through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

I grew up in the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” era so the cover of “Wretched Waterpark” was enough to grab me, but the synopsis pushed it over the top. Lemony Snicket’s famous series has been mentioned along with Scooby-Doo for marketing purposes, but allow me to enlighten you on something even more synonymous with the Sinister Summer series: the Addams Family. *snap snap* Aunt Saffronia is Morticia’s twin with pale skin, long hair, and a black dress that makes her appear as though she’s floating instead of walking. Fathoms of Fun is a dream, nay, nightmare for the lost souls in search of a resting place . . . pardon me, vacation spot. The mystery is simple and easy to solve for adult readers, but I’m not holding that against a book aimed at a middle grade audience. The macabre atmosphere and humor are immaculate, and the tease of book two has me jumping out of my skin in anticipation of the September sequel. My rating is five stars, and I’m urging you to walk, DON’T RUN, to pick up this book if the summer heat has you missing spooky season.

•

Content Breakdown:

*Disclaimer: I read an uncorrected ARC so certain things might change before the final copy is printed.

Adoption: It is briefly mentioned that the oldest Sinister-Winterbottom sibling Wilhelmina is adopted.

Blood: There is a conversation about blood in chapters 12 & 13.

Dark Humor: The siblings have to sign paperwork before entering the waterpark, & it mentions drowning & lost souls.

Upset about the summer plans forced on her & her siblings, Theo says she’s “gonna walk into traffic now.” Alexander responds by offering to test out the sharpness of a knife on her hand. When Wilhelmina doesn’t respond in a responsible way, they wonder if texting her about getting matching tattoos or ingesting small doses of poison would get her attention. Later on the twins tell Wil a man offered them candy & a ride in his van, which receives the same distracted response.

Disappearance: The owner of Fathoms of Fun walked into the wave pool one day and never came back out; this occurred off-page but is described a few times. More missing persons are mentioned later on.

Spooky: If you’re trying to gauge how dark this book gets, especially for young readers, I would recommend you compare it to things like “A Series of Unfortunate Events” & Scooby-Doo but especially the Addams Family. That is the exact level of macabre atmosphere & humor the reader needs to be comfortable with. Expect a casual mention of coffins or a character with the surname “Widow” or a joke about death. If you’re curious about the direction of the series, the next book is about vampires. ( )