Amelia Clark is a homeschooled twelve-year-old girl who travels with her developer father when he goes on site to build a new housing project. In this case, she’s temporarily housed in a small town of Blacktree while her father builds a luxury resort on the edge of town next to a dilapidated, decades-old bridge. The bridge, the town says, is haunted by the ghost of a man named Jasper. For her part, Amelia rides around the town, eavesdropping on the gossip. Eventually, she decides to go out to the old bridge and decide for herself if the bridge has a haunt.
The middle-grade book, The Secret of Blacktree Bridge by Kat Heckenbach, tells the story of Amelia, her father, her father’s (and her) friend Mason, and her newfound librarian friend Corinne. Naturally, something is afoot on the bridge, and Jasper is in the middle of it. What he is and what is happening is the central secret of the book, and the revelation is unique. This plot has far more on its mind than ghostbusters, and its theme is quite heavy for this age group. Good, for the novel provides a gravitas to a middle-grade (MG) story often missing in others.
This is exactly the type of book I read as a middle grader, and revisited at various points of my adult life. Adult books are often missing the wonder and honesty of a book like The Secret of Blacktree Bridge. This book feels like it knew exactly what it wanted to do and pulled it off without a hitch.
The writing is both appropriate for MG and compelling for adult readers. Amelia talks and acts like a girl her age, and the adults also treat her with her respect without anyone performing the usual villain piece. True, one character acted erratically to the point where I wondered if a supernatural force was at work on him, yet the inciting plot twist brought him back. The climax was what I had hoped would happen, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire novel. Finally, the cover art is spectacular.
The Secret of Blacktree Bridge is a wonderful read for middle graders and older who enjoy a bit of wonder in their novels. Readers will be surprised at the secret of the bridge and satisfied with how it all turns out.