Secrets at Camp Nokomis Book

Secrets at Camp Nokomis is the first mystery for Rebecca by the same author as her core series. The book takes place in the summer of 1916, when Rebecca is 11. A polio outbreak in New York City has prompted the Children's Health Fund to create free summer camps for city children to get away from the diseases of the city. Rebecca and her best friend Rose are excited when their applications are accepted for the first group of campers. Sadly for Rose, a boy in her building has contracted polio and therefore, her entire building is under quarantine. Rebecca is excited and nervous about going to camp and making new friends.

Rebecca loves camp right away. She loves the fresh air of the country, the charming Indian theme of the camp taken from Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha", the camping, the activities and everything! At first Rebecca's tent mates seem like they will be good friends. She is especially close to her bunkmate, the shy, small girl, Christina (Tina) Pfeffer. Rebecca quickly makes an enemy in her tent though and she's not sure how to deal with the bully. Her friend Tina also seems to have a big secret but won't confide in Rebecca. When the bully goes too far, Rebecca has to decide what, if anything, she's going to do about it.

This mystery isn't much of a mystery. It's a typical camp story and adolescent bullying story. The details of camp activities are nice but nothing new. I did like how the author incorporates "Hiawatha" into the story, and not just in the camp name. I figured out the mystery early on and it seemed so obvious that I don't know why no one else figures it out The kids act pretty realistically for girls that age and the issues are and aren't resolved in a fairy tale manner. The conflict between Rebecca and the bully is pretty good and handled well. The bully is who she is and though she learns a lesson, her personality is still the same.