Book Review: “Camp Twisted Pine” by Ciera Burch

“Camp Twisted Pine” by Ciera Burch (2024)

Genre: Middle-Grade, Fiction, Horror

Page Length: 272 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

Eleven-year-old Naomi loves all things outdoors—birds and beetles, bats and bunnies—in theory. She explores nature in the best possible way: the cold, hard facts in books. So when her parents’ announcement of their impending divorce comes hand in hand with sending Naomi and her younger twin brothers to summer camp while they figure things out, it’s salt in the wound for Naomi and her avoidance of hands-on experience.

Camp Twisted Pine could be worse. The counselors are nice, and Naomi likes her cabinmates, especially Jackie, whose blunt personality and frank dislike of the camp draws Naomi in quickly. Jackie is also hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid, and the girls quickly develop a routine of sign language lessons in their free time, which Naomi sees as a welcome break when all the s’mores-making and nature walks get to be a bit much.

But the campers aren’t the only ones who roam the grounds of Camp Twisted Pine. When people start to go missing, including Jackie, Naomi has to find a way to save everyone—and herself. Her practical knowledge of the outdoors may still be rudimentary at best, but she has years of studying and the scientific method to fall back on. Can Naomi identify and stop the dangerous predator before it’s too late?

Review:

If you enjoy:

spooky stories around the campfire
tales of cryptids
new friendships
coming-of-age narratives

Then you are going to want to pick up this exciting read! Camp Twisted Pine is delightful spooky and a solid summer camp story! It has just the right amount of horror elements for its intended middle-grade audience without it being too scary. I’ve only been to camp once myself and though I didn’t particularly like it, (the bugs!) it took me back to those days. I felt the comradery between the characters as well as the simplicity of being outdoors and having fun around the campfire. It highlights all the joys of summer while transporting readers to a more nostalgic time.

On top of the fantasy and spooky elements, I appreciated how Burch tackles the themes of growing up and how challenging it can be. Especially since Naomi, the main character, is grappling with changing family dynamics with her impending parent’s divorce. She also struggles to make new friends at camp (when she didn’t want to go there in the first place). She shows immense growth throughout the novel by not only navigating through her issues but also being challenged by the lurking evil in her summer camp and trying to save the camp from danger.

I also enjoyed the novel’s setting of an eerie forest where danger may be lurking in the shadows. It was interesting to see the world building around the setting and learning about the mysteries of the land as the truth becomes unraveled. Readers get to put on their detective hats to follow clues and the way a very famous cryptid is used in the story gives its original urban legend a unique twist. Though the novel is not as scary as I thought was lighthearted I think it makes a solid summer camp story. It’s just creepy enough to keep the reader entertained and Burch creates a story that is immersive and exciting!

Final Verdict: