The Ginghams

In her eerie debut, Kemper puts a middle grade spin on The Stepford Wives. Twelve-year-old Joni was excited to attend summer camp with her best friends Tyler and May, until a dirt biking injury forced May to stay home. At camp, Joni worries that the time apart is creating distance among the white-cued friend group, concerns that are seemingly confirmed when, upon her return, she realizes that there’s something different about May. The girl’s previously “rock-and-roll” curls are tamed into a neat bun, and she no longer takes interest in her drum kit or the trio’s favorite comic book series. Worse is May’s overly polite new friend, Charlotte Ann Gingham, who “looks like she walked off the pages of a 1950s yearbook.” After Joni and her parents attend a book club meeting at the Ginghams’ home, Joni becomes more uneasy as she notices that Charlotte Ann’s artificial affect and retro fashion tastes seem to be spreading: more mothers and daughters are sporting the same giant pearl earrings and strange “waxy” grins. As Joni and Tyler investigate the Ginghams’ uncanny influence, they uncover information that hints at the family’s surprising past and sinister future plans. Brisk pacing and a tense, dread-filled atmosphere conjure an action-packed piece that draws on classic works of body-snatcher horror. Ages 8–12. Agent: Amy Giuffrida, Belcastro Agency. (July)