Young Julie is troubled by her mother’s death and her dislike for her new stepmother, who doesn’t want Julie around for the summer. Instead, Julie is being sent to live on an island with relatives she doesn’t know. To make matters worse, her first weeks don’t go well. Her uncle rarely shows his face, her aunt is plagued by anxiety, and her cousin seems to hate her. Julie begins to think her time on the island will be short lived.
I thoroughly enjoyed taking a step back from the intense, emotionally wringing tales of young adult, new adult, and adult fiction to enjoy the simple clarity of this middle grade story. The Mystery of the Indian Carvings is fast paced and perfect for it’s target audience. Tween readers will get a thrill of adventure and solid lessons about trusting God, just like I did when I read Repp’s Mik-Shrok series as a tween.
If you have younger siblings or are the parent of readers age 8-13, this is a great book to share with them.
Leah E. Good 
Thank you for your insights, Leah! This was the first book I wrote, years ago, and I still feel a kinship with Julie. The island setting is dear to me as well because our family had a cabin on a similar island (Thetis), just off the coast of Vancouver Island.