Wretched Waterpark

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Meet the Sinister-Winterbottom twins, who solve mysteries at increasingly bizarre summer vacation destinations in the hopes of being reunited with their parents—or, at the very least, finally finding a good churro. From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes her middle grade series debut that is part Scooby Doo, part A Series of Unfortunate Events, and entirely genius!

Meet the Sinister-Winterbottoms: brave Theo, her timid twin, Alexander, and their older sister, Wil. They’re stuck for the summer with their Aunt Saffronia, who doesn’t know how often children need to eat and can’t use a smartphone, and whose feet never quite seem to touch the floor when she glides—er—walks.

When Aunt Saffronia suggests a week pass to the Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, they hastily agree. But the park is even stranger than Aunt Saffronia. The waterslides look like gray gargoyle tongues. The employees wear creepy black dresses and deliver ominous messages. An impossible figure is at the top of the slide tower, people are disappearing, and suspicious goo is seeping into the wave pool.

Something mysterious is happening at Fathoms of Fun, and it’s up to the twins to get to the bottom of it. The mystery, that is. NOT the wave pool. Definitely NOT the wave pool. But are Theo and Alexander out of their depth?

Story Locale:Fathoms of Fun waterpark (fictional)

Series Overview: The Sinister Summer series will publish on an excelerated schedule--Book 1 HC (summer 2022); Book 2 HC (fall 2022); Book 3 HC (spring 2023); Book 4 HC (summer 2023); Book 5 HC (spring 2024).

About the Author

Kiersten White has never been a lifeguard, camp counselor, or spa masseuse, but she is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Wretched Waterpark, the first book in the Sinister Summer series, and Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales. She lives with her family near the beach and keeps all her secrets safely buried in her backyard, where they are guarded by a ferocious tortoise named Kimberly.

Author Residence: Carlsbad, CA

Author Hometown: Utah