Deep and Dark and Dangerous

"Deep and Dark and Dangerous" is a suspenseful middle-grade mystery that follows 12-year-old Ali as she spends a summer at a lakehouse in Maine, babysitting her young cousin Emma. Ali quickly becomes entangled in a chilling mystery involving a torn photograph, a family estrangement, and a strange, mean girl named Sissy. As Sissy's behavior escalates and ghost stories about a girl named Teresa who drowned years ago surface, Ali realizes she must uncover the truth behind a long-buried family secret. The book explores themes of guilt, forgiveness, the consequences of keeping secrets, and the power of family bonds, all wrapped in an atmospheric ghost story. It's suitable for readers aged 8-12 who enjoy a good shiver and a compelling mystery.

While vacationing in Maine,12-year-old Ali meets Sissy, a kid who's mean spiteful. Sissy keeps talking about a girl named Teresa who drowned under mysterious circumstances and whose body was never found. At first Ali thinks Sissy's just trying to scare her, but soon she discovers the real reason why Sissy is so angry.