The Mystery of Raspberry Hill by Eva Frantz
Publication Date: 13th Oct 2022
Genre: Middle Grade, Dark Fiction, Paranormal
4.2 Stars
One Liner: A touching and quick read
Twelve-year-old Stina knows she will die someday. She has tuberculosis but not enough money for treatment. Her widowed mother tries her best to take care of Stina and her five siblings.
When Stina is sent to the Raspberry Hill Sanatorium for recovery treatment, she and her family are excited. It’s not every day that the poor have the same opportunities as the rich. However, Stina’s stay at the huge sanatorium has mixed results.
There are secrets around her, and one such secret could put her in grave danger. What happened to the East Wing? Why are there no other kids recovering at the sanatorium? What secrets is the place hiding? Can Stina find out the truth before it’s too late? Does she have a chance to recover and live longer than she hoped?
The story comes from Stina’s first-person POV.
My Observations:
The story has been translated from Swedish to English and reads well. It is short and fast-paced yet has enough material to entertain a middle-grader.
The book starts with Stina announcing her impending death (because of TB). This is repeated a few times, which may or may not work for all kids. Of course, it is to be expected when Stina is the narrator.
The atmospheric setting is done well. I could visualize Raspberry Hall and its gloomy surroundings.
The occasional hits of cheeky humor keep the tone lighthearted despite the heavy topic. Stina makes some thoughtful observations. She’s a smart girl with realistic traits and reactions.
A few scenes are convenient, and there are easy coincidences towards the end. However, this is a book for kids. They need some amount of positivity to believe in happy ever afters and magic. No complaints here (after all, I’m not the target audience for the book).
The book can be finished in a single sitting. The way it blends death, health issues, poverty, greed, etc., with adventure, mystery, and bravery makes it a worthy read. I also liked how Stina makes some wrong assumptions instead of being right every time.
The paranormal bits are an integral part of the plot. It’s easy to figure things out as an adult (though I think kids would, too), but that’s where the charm lies.
The characters are well-defined (and yes, some are stereotypical, but who cares). I could imagine even those characters who didn’t have an active role in the story.
To summarize, The Mystery of Raspberry Hill is a touching book with a lovable heroine and an intriguing setting. Just make sure your kids can read about death before picking this for them. Adults shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pushkin Children's Books, for the eARC.
#TheMysteryofRaspberryHill #NetGalley
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