2 out of 4 stars
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A fascinating children's mystery, The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin (a sequel to Bess’s Magical Garden) by M. E. Hembroff, takes us on a journey filled with curiosity and excitement. Often intertwining with the daily life of a young school-goer and her friends, this book is relatable and intriguing for the age group of readers that it was written for (7 and above).
The story is in the first person narrative by the protagonist, Bess Silver, and begins by documenting her move, after the death of her father, to Pineview from the city in the summer of 1954. She worries about settling into her new school. Fortunately, she has Megan Skye, her cousin and close friend, to help her through it. Soon, Bess’s mind is preoccupied with the hidden cabin Megan’s father found in the Skye household when doing kitchen renovations. She begins to see startlingly real visions of the previous occupants of this puzzling cabin, mainly a woman in an old-fashioned dress. A number of unanswered questions arise and so the readers join Bess to investigate who exactly this woman was and why Bess was having dreams about her. She does this through her own visions, the various possessions found abandoned in the cabin and help from her friends, family, and the townsfolk.
Although the plot-line of this story definitely seems promising and intriguing, I, unfortunately, have more criticisms of this book than I do praise. Bess is a good protagonist who is loved by everyone around her, but at times the emotions I felt that should have been seen were only hinted at rather than elaborated upon. Although I realize this book is for children and that its premise is a mystery and not necessarily Bess’s personal life, I have to consider how much the author has repeatedly mentioned certain aspects of Bess’s past. This makes me think that the intention was to invoke sympathy within the readers, but it does so only mildly and possibly not to the effect that the author had wished. A bias of mine can, however, be a factor in this judgment. Being an adult who has read complex novels and who really emphasizes on emotions, it is possible that I no longer understand that basic emotions are necessary for younger children to comprehend and relate to. Another possibility may be that the author has a matter-of-fact writing style that I do not particularly admire. Further criticism would be that the dialogues of the characters do not at all reflect the different timelines in the book, and it sometimes seemed like everything was happening in the same time period. In addition, something that bothered me quite a bit was how one scene or dialogue would suddenly change topics with no relation to what was happening earlier, making them seem repetitive and inorganic. An example of this could be seen in these lines by a character in Bess’s school:
This can make the writing seem disconnected. One more thing I would like to mention is that there is no change of the font or any other sort of indication when the narrative moves from Bess to the diaries that she is reading, and this can be confusing for some.“Some of us are playing cowboys and Indians. Do you want to join us?” Jeff opened his thermos. “I have chores and homework after school.”
That being said, there are definitely some good points in this story. The content is not too descriptive and so is very unlikely to bore children. The minor descriptions that are provided aid in setting the mood and the scene very well, also occasionally providing cute and vivid descriptions of some characters. Bess’s character is determined, focused, and hardworking, not only when it comes to the mystery but schoolwork as well and I do believe that these aspects set her up to be a good role model and perhaps even inspiring for young readers. Her issues, although hardly explained, are still realistic and reflective of her time. I really appreciate that the author did not make her too perfect. She is more human which is something I always look for in a book. I also admire the author for mentioning different aspects of life (death, remarriage, etc.) in a children's book in the first place. I think they are important to mention so that many of the readers who are going through similar things do not feel alone. The sentiments Bess expresses are also relatable, especially over the little things such as how writing keeps her jumbled thoughts in order or her minor jealously over children who get good grades without even trying. The older characters also seem to be going through their own phases of life, such as marriage, children, arthritis, etc.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars, and would recommend it to parents with young children who like mystery books that do not contain too many descriptions. I do not, however, recommend it to older people who have the same preferences as I do. I gave it 2 points less because of the spelling mistakes I found and the somewhat predictable and anticlimactic ending. This book definitely has a lot of potential and is interesting, but could be a bit more engaging.
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The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin
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