Wretched Waterpark (The Sinister Summer Series) Paperback – March 7, 2023

Summer might be over, but don't put up your sunscreen and beach towels just yet, because Wretched Waterpark is the perfect poolside or beach read for spooky story fans of all ages. Kiersten White has yet to let me down. She writes a wide variety of stories, but they all share a compulsive page turning quality that I can't get enough of.I look forward to the following entries in this series and have already preordered book number 2, Vampiric Vacation.

but I really enjoyed it! I just may read the rest of the series. Have to know what Wil, Theo, and Alexander get caught up in next.

He was interested

Read this with my 8 year old and it kept her on her toes trying to figure out what was going on. Now on to book 2 to see what’s in store for these 3 adventurous-ish kids.

So much suspense I love It

My son and I read this book together. After the first two chapters we almost gave up, but decided to finish what we started. The book was OK, very predictable. At times it felt like it was going absolutely nowhere. Glad we finished it but we will not be reading any of the other books in the series.

Wretched Waterpark is the first book in the middle grade Gothic mystery series Sinister Summer. So far there are three books in the series coming out in quick succession (about 3-4 month wait per book-awesome!)I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much more than I anticipated I would.Three siblings are dropped off at their aunt's house for the summer. Wilhelmina Sinister-Winterbottom is an older teen (16) addicted to the company of Rodrigo (her cell phone). Her twelve-year-old twin siblings, Theodora Sinister-Winterbottom and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom, make a dynamic duo. None of the children know how they came to arrive at their aunt's house, and their aunt seems to not know that children need food, among other oddities she exhibits.For their first week of summer vacation, their aunt takes them to Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, encouraging they grab a week-long pass. The shops don't seem to sell the usual items and snacks one might find at a waterpark, and heaven forbid...there are no churros! But there are some raisin meat pie things...Wil finds herself drawn to the mysterious Gothic shopkeep, Edgar. All the buildings are like old gray stone, the furniture that which would be found in a haunted castle. The water attractions feature ominous names, such as "Oblivion, Abandon Hope, Infinite Plunge, Mortal Coil, the Other Side and the Afterlife," as well as the River Styx for lazy time and the Cold, Unknowable Sea for those who seek some waves. The rafts are all shaped like coffins and park workers (all dressed in dark Gothic style attire) suggest one cross their arms over their chest while going down the various slides (it's quite quirky and hilarious). Theo finds she loves going down the water slides over and over again, but Alexander is more than content timing her with their borrowed stop watch.As the children are dropped off at the park every morning, they soon realize something strange is happening. Employees are missing, and the park owner, Mrs. Widow, seems up to something...sinister. Wil is afright when Edgar goes missing, and the children learn something must have happened to Mr. Widow. What could be causing employees to go missing and for Mrs. Widow to dismiss her husband as dead? The children take the matter into their own hands after a mysterious encouragement from their aunt to find what is missing.This book is so full of quirky humorous moments. As an adult I feel like more may stand out to me than to a younger reader, but there is so much a middle grade audience will enjoy with this series. It has a bit of an Adams Family feel when it comes to all the characters in the book, with the exception of the three children.By the end I had this A Series of Unfortunate Events vibe as I feel that this is only the start of the Gothic adventures and I feel that the villain from this will be recurring and possibly be out for the children in a similar way as Count Olaf. That being said, as a reader, I already find this series to be far superior to that of A Series of Unfortunate Events as its enjoyment value and creativity are outstanding. I am so glad there is already a line-up of these and cannot wait to read more!

I had a lot of fun reading this wonderfully weird, wacky, and slightly spooky middle grade mystery.It made me nostalgic for my childhood. It's exactly the type of book I loved back then. I loved the gothic waterpark setting. The vibe of the place reminded me a tiny bit of my favorite Goosebumps story, One Day at Horrorland, which, again, made me feel so nostalgic.I couldn't read this fast enough and was sad when I reached the end because I just wanted it to keep on going. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series.