LitPick Review
Logan Forbes doesn't like the looks of the creepy, old mansion he is moving into with his parents. Overgrown grass, hanging shingles, collapsing porch, Logan hates it right away, but not only because of it's looks, he has a bad feeling there's something not right about the house. When Logan meets his new neighbor, Arthur Jenkins, Logan learns he had a right to be nervous about the house- a woman was murdered in it! Arthur ropes Logan into his quest to find Mrs. Donaldson's killer. Their search leads them to the old Magic Forest Amusement Park, which is closed due to losing a lot of money. As Logan and Arthur get tangled more and more in the mystery of the murder, the boys realize they're in a lot more danger than they ever thought they would be...
Opinion:
I've read quite a few other books by Mary Downing Hahn and enjoyed them, but as with Closed For the Season they're directed to a younger audience. Although, it held my attention, there were times I was wishing there was more detail in plot and character development. Keeping in mind, this book was written for younger kids, I enjoyed reading it. The mystery was orginial, although at times a bit predictable. There were a few twists in the plot that kept me guessing, but I wouldn't read it again. Hahn's other books I read were all ghost stories, with a mystery tangled in as well, so while reading this I always felt like something was missing. Boys might be able to better relate to the main characters in the book, than I could, as they were mostly all male. Even if it wasn't my favorite book, all in all I would recommend it to kids who enjoy a fun mystery that's an overall quick read.
