BOOK REVIEW: A ghostly adventure for middle grade readers

July 6, 2026

By Michelle Beckwith

“The Haunting of Walker Pond,” by Nancy Tandon.

Nancy Tandon—a featured author at Word, Blue Hill’s literary arts festival—is back with a new middle grade novel set in a fictional version of our beloved peninsula, and it’s perfect for our younger readers.

The new release, The Haunting of Walker Pond, is a companion to The Ghost of Spruce Point, one of my five-star reads, and many characters return to solve another ghost story mystery.

After saving the family business last summer, the “treehouse friends” are presented with an equally serious conundrum. This time the setting is nearby Camp Asticou, where Parker and Frankie are taking part in a leader-in-training program. 12-year-old Frankie is “from away” but her future trips to her summer home hinge on her success in this program. The other participants are as different as they come, and some thorny relationships evolve as the leaders learn about the camp legend of The Bride of Rippowam, who haunts Walker Pond. Some tough choices regarding pushing the boundaries arise and Frankie and Parker need to weigh the risks and the rewards of enlisting help in their quest to save the camp.

This would make an excellent parent/child read along for anyone looking for the opportunity to experience a Maine summer in the Maine woods, as Tandon’s frequent visits to the place we call home are on full display! The ending—which may surprise readers as much as it surprises the characters in the book itself—elevates this to another 5 star read.

Tandon will be at The Blue Hill Library Wednesday July 8 at 2:00 pm, hosting “Spooky Stories 101”, an event geared towards kids in 3rd-6th grade! Copies of both books will be available for purchase, in partnership with Blue Hill Books.