When Bess moves to a new town, she is not sure how it is going to be. But, she is soon distracted by many of the new things around her, such as the one-room school she attends. The best part, there is a mystery that needs to be solved, and Bess dives right in. When her uncle finds part of an old cabin behind the kitchen wall, he discovers a trunk and many other things inside. Bess brings the items to her house and begins to go through the documents and clothing, trying to figure out who they belong to.
As she dives deeper into the mystery, Bess begins to feel close to the couple that she is reading about, and wants to know more about them. She even begins to feel as though she was back in the cabin, during the time that the mysterious couple lived there. But that could not really happen.. could it?

A great little story! Perfect for kids who love a mystery and for those who are gaining their confidence in reading!

The first thing which went through my mind, after I started reading the story, there's no doubt the author has a very keen eye for detail and a deep rooted love for nature. As a result The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin offers more to the reader than just an interesting tale, but is also a very charming walk through the seasons with coloured leaves and glittering snow.

The year is 1954 and Bess and her mother have relocated to Pineview.
Our young Bess has already had her fair share in life. A year ago her father died tragically in a car accident and at the same time she suffered a minor bout of polio.
Luckily she has already found new friends in the small town where she now lives, her grandmother has moved in with them and her uncle and his family live just down the road.
But still, moving on is difficult.

Megan, her cousin, goes to the same school and is also in her class, which is actually no surprise, as there's just one class for all, as just a handful of children live in Pineview.
When Megan's father renovates their kitchen, he discovers a hidden cabin behind the wall plastering. They find an old crate, books and also a diary.
At the same time, Bess starts to have very unsettling dreams.

It's all quite a mystery and step by step the secrets of the place and its former occupants are unveiled. At the same time we get to hear how Bess adapts to her new life.

Bess is a very sympathetic character and so is her Gramma, but the story moves at a very slow pace and on occasion gets sidetracked and meanders along and I struggled to stay focused.
However beautiful the snowflakes sparkle in the sun, for a mystery story, it's too much detail and also quite repetitive at times.

The ending is nice and there's no cliffhanger, but it's also no stunning unexpected twist you didn't see coming.

This is the second adventure (and I don't get why it's listed as part one) with our main character Bess, the first being Bess' s Magical Garden. There's no need to read the books in order, but I felt it sure helps, as there are regular references to the previous book and as I'm not familiar with the first part, I didn't get the who's who at first.

One reviewer on Goodreads mentions enthusiastically illustrations, but there are none in the book.

To be perfectly honest, considering the author's talent to capture nature in its utter beauty, I think Bess's Magical Garden is well worth a look.
Overall 3 sparkling snowflakes for The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin from me.

Bess has moved with her family and now goes to a one room schoolhouse. She thought that was going to be her biggest challenge but then she finds out about a hidden one room cabin at her cousin's house.

Plaisted Publishing House Ltd and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published October 21st.

Bess wants to find out more about who lived there and who they are related to. She reads the old diaries, researches old newspapers and even sees the woman who used to live there. No one else does.

She eventually traces down the right name and the right family and finds out what happened to them. Would you do all that research? I would, I love finding facts.

Interesting story set in the 1950s. The main character moves to the country and to a one-stop school house from a city. She then finds an old diary which gets her interested in finding out more about the people mentioned. The story was somewhat interesting, but it could have been better edited.

The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin by M.E. Hembroff
I finished this book in one day as it is only 109 pages. It held my interest in the storyline. It is basically about a young girl named Bess and written in her character. Bess's friend's Father finds a hidden cabin attached to his house. Bess is curious why they would leave trunks and boxes there and just leave the cabin. It takes her on a quest to find out who they are and why they left the cabin. The characters were described very well. I especially liked the main character Bess and her wanting to find out the truth about the Hidden Cabin. Thou this was listed as a mystery it was really more historical. My Granddaughter is 8 and I don't see her having any issues with the words. That is why I think it is a good book for 8 and up. The author is very descriptive in the characters and the places visited which I feel kind of took you there. I always read books before my Granddaughter, so that I know it is okay for her to read. I am sure she will like this book. The book is good for any child who is moving and worried about it. The Gramma is a wonderful character and what you would want any Grandma to be. Bess's friends are very typical of the era and the twins add some comic relief. I recommend this book to anyone young and old alike. I am going to read Bess's Magical Garden which I have heard is also very good by the same author.

I love the cover of The Mystery of the Hidden Cabin, which made me choose this title for middle readers. This sequel is as compelling as its predecessor, Bess's Magical Garden, and works well as a stand-alone. 5/5 for an intriguing story line and beautiful illustrations!

Pub Date 21 Oct 2017

Thanks to Plaisted Publishing House Ltd and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

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