Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun, spooky summertime romp launches clever tween series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old twins Theo and Alexander Sinister-Winterbottom and their older sister, Wil, find themselves spending their first week of summer at the WRETCHED WATERPARK, where everything is spooky, people keep disappearing, and there are no churros. It's the latest in a series of strange events that began without warning when their parents left them with an aunt they didn't know they had and disappeared into the night. Aunt Saffronia is definitely strange -- she doesn't seem to really understand about food, for example -- but she really wants the kids to find a mysterious object at the waterpark. The kids are more interested in not disappearing into Oblivion or the Cold, Unknowable Sea, and maybe finding decent snacks. But as the week progresses, things get stranger, and even Wil vanishes, they're determined to figure out what's going on and put things to rights.
Is It Any Good?
Kiersten White launches her middle grade series with creepy doings at the amusement park and clever tweens putting things to rights. First installment Wretched Waterpark leaves much to be resolved in later volumes -- like why the Sinister-Winterbottom parents have vanished, and what their kids are supposed to do about it. There's a lot of cleverness, wordplay, and problem-solving -- as well as a looming sense that there's more peril than fun to be had here:
"'Oh,' Mrs. Widow said, her smile getting bigger in the way you sometimes only see part of a spider but then it crawls out of its hole to reveal sinisterly elegant legs and far more body than you ever wanted a spider to have."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how things that start out really fun take a turn for the dark side in Wretched Waterpark. What other stories do you know that do this well? Do you like this kind of story, or would you rather keep the fun stuff fun and the scary stuff scary?
A lot of stories over the centuries begin with kids being suddenly separated from their parents and having to make the best of it. Do you know anyone who's had this happen to them in real life? How did they cope?
Do you like water parks? What's your favorite thing about them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Delacorte Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : June 7, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 256
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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