Camp Twisted Pine

Description: In the middle of her parents' divorce, eleven-year-old Naomi and her brothers are sent to camp where children disappear and monsters stories are real.

Brief description: Ciera Burch is a lifelong writer and ice cream aficionado. She has a BA from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. Her fiction has appeared in The American Literary Magazine, Underground, Five Points, Stork, and Blackbird. Her work was also chosen as the 2019 One City One Story read for the Boston Book Festival. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, DC, with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books. Visit Ciera at CieraBurch.com.

Review Quotes: Eleven-year-old Naomi Samuels spends the summer between elementary and middle school enduring both familial and paranormal aggravation in this sleepaway camp thriller by Burch (Finch House). Sent to Camp Twisted Pine by their parents, Naomi and her younger twin brothers Aman and Omar find themselves in the New Jersey Pine Barrens while the adults navigate a waning marriage. Apprehensive about the experience, science-minded Naomi nevertheless finds much to observe in the surrounding woods and befriends fellow camper Jackie, who wears hearing aids and teaches Naomi American Sign Language. Despite Naomi's more logical thinking, she's affected by a campfire story about the Jersey Devil and believes she encounters the folkloric creature during an unsupervised forest outing. Her fears that there's something sinister about Camp Twisted Pine are confirmed when campers--including Aman--begin disappearing into the woods, setting Naomi on a rescue mission in a story that mixes light thrills, natural magic, and local legend. Initial horror movie flourishes give way to depictions of Naomi's changing family relationships, stressing the interpersonal dynamics of summer camp and lending a gentler feel to this introspective dark fantasy adventure. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 8-12. Agent: Trinica Sampson-Vera, New Leaf Literary. (Sept.)--Publishers Weekly "7/15/2024"