Twisted Summer
by Willo Davis Roberts
Summary
Every summer Cici visits her grandparent's lake house. She spends her vacation with other families around the lake swimming, playing games, and having cookouts. She has known most of the other children as long as she remembers, including Jack who she hope finally sees her as one of the big kids. However, everything has changed, much to Cici's disappointment.
Cici was away the previous summer and missed the murder one of the neighbors, Zoe. Jack's older brother was accused, found guilty, and is now in jail. Convinced of his innocence, Cici is determined to find the real killer. The suspect list consists of many people she knows well and loves, including her cousin, step-grandfather, and Jack. Cici risks her life and follows a suspect one night, discovering the true identity of Zoe's murderer.
APA Reference
Roberts, W. D. (1996). Twisted summer. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
My Impressions
When I was a teenager, this was one of my favorite genres- a suspenseful, thriller combined with a coming-of-age story with some romance thrown in. Twisted Summer fit this and added a mystery to be solved; my middle school self would have loved this book. My adult self? Ehh.
It was fine; not really good, but not bad either. I liked the story and the set-up for the mystery, and I thought Cici and the other lake residents were believable (though I wish there had been more character development.) My biggest issue was when Cici began her investigation. the decisions she was making did not seem well thought out, which didn't fit with her actions in the first half of the book. The romantic storyline between Cici and Jack was introduced early in the book and it was the driving factor for the first half of the book. However, as the mystery plot developed, I felt the romantic plot was brushed aside.
Review
Davis Roberts' murder mystery is a "well-crafted, sophisticated story," states Connie Tyrrell Burns of the School Library Journal. Kirkus Reviews refers to Davis Robert as an "old pro" who keeps the pages turning. They also state that multiple "red herrings" keep the reader guessing until the "gripping ending."
Kirkus Reviews. (1996). Twisted Summer [review of the book Twisted Summer]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/willo-davis-roberts/twisted-summer/#review
Library Use
Twisted Summer would be a good introduction to mystery for middle school students. You can create a murder mystery theater as an added activity.
Every summer Cici visits her grandparent's lake house. She spends her vacation with other families around the lake swimming, playing games, and having cookouts. She has known most of the other children as long as she remembers, including Jack who she hope finally sees her as one of the big kids. However, everything has changed, much to Cici's disappointment.
Cici was away the previous summer and missed the murder one of the neighbors, Zoe. Jack's older brother was accused, found guilty, and is now in jail. Convinced of his innocence, Cici is determined to find the real killer. The suspect list consists of many people she knows well and loves, including her cousin, step-grandfather, and Jack. Cici risks her life and follows a suspect one night, discovering the true identity of Zoe's murderer.
APA Reference
Roberts, W. D. (1996). Twisted summer. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
My Impressions
When I was a teenager, this was one of my favorite genres- a suspenseful, thriller combined with a coming-of-age story with some romance thrown in. Twisted Summer fit this and added a mystery to be solved; my middle school self would have loved this book. My adult self? Ehh.
It was fine; not really good, but not bad either. I liked the story and the set-up for the mystery, and I thought Cici and the other lake residents were believable (though I wish there had been more character development.) My biggest issue was when Cici began her investigation. the decisions she was making did not seem well thought out, which didn't fit with her actions in the first half of the book. The romantic storyline between Cici and Jack was introduced early in the book and it was the driving factor for the first half of the book. However, as the mystery plot developed, I felt the romantic plot was brushed aside.
Review
Davis Roberts' murder mystery is a "well-crafted, sophisticated story," states Connie Tyrrell Burns of the School Library Journal. Kirkus Reviews refers to Davis Robert as an "old pro" who keeps the pages turning. They also state that multiple "red herrings" keep the reader guessing until the "gripping ending."
Kirkus Reviews. (1996). Twisted Summer [review of the book Twisted Summer]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/willo-davis-roberts/twisted-summer/#review
Library Use
Twisted Summer would be a good introduction to mystery for middle school students. You can create a murder mystery theater as an added activity.
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