Reckoning - (Whispering Pines) by Heidi Lang & Kati Bartkowski

About the Book

"Caden leads Rae and Vivienne on a mission to rescue their friends deep into the heart of the Other Place"--

Book Synopsis

In this thrilling addition to the Whispering Pines middle grade series that's "a cosmic blend of magical monsters and scary science as frightening as it is fun" (Kirkus Reviews), Rae and Caden venture into the monstrous Other Place to rescue their captured friends and save their town.

Eyeless horrors. Giant, flesh-eating bugs. Despite everything Whispering Pines has thrown at her, Rae has never given up searching for her missing father. But when she discovers a surprising connection between his disappearance and Green On!, the shady alternative energy company that runs her town, she'll be forced to confront a monster more dangerous than anything she's ever faced before.

Meanwhile, now that Caden's vindictive older brother is gone, it's up to him to uphold the family business and ensure that the evil in the Other Place never breaks free. But when a mangled body is discovered in his backyard, he realizes that he can't protect Whispering Pines from the monstrous creatures of the Other Place--because they're already here.

The only way for both Caden and Rae to save the people of Whispering Pines is to embark on a mission deep into the heart of the Other Place. There, Caden will have to come to terms with the truth of his family's legacy and learn how to harness his full power.

If he fails, all the horrors of the Other Place will descend on Whispering Pines, and that's a threat that the town--and the world--cannot survive.

Review Quotes

After the events of Infestation (2021), the town's conspiracy deepens into new dangers. Rae, Caden, and Vivienne emerged victorious against the bugs--but that doesn't mean they won the internship competition to get to go on a top-secret mission. When a new, deadly threat strikes close to home, they want to join forces with friends on the other team; however, said friends are missing. In this third Whispering Pines installment, backstories are mined (Caden's family history with the Other Place, the mystery of Rae's missing father, and the nature of Vivienne's curse) and connected into a twisted net of plotlines. The fast-paced action propels the characters through revelations and uneasy team-ups with Green On!'s untrustworthy Patrick and Caden's enigmatic older brother, Aiden. Throughout, there's a constant sense of buildup to the larger stakes. The more immediate stakes are just as delightful, with new monsters out for blood. The backstories and histories of the various mysteries make the monsters feel like a natural development rather than standard sequel one-upmanship. The answers the characters finally get are hard fought and well earned, and the ending lull offers them no true relief--especially since readers will see a major cliffhanger waiting in the wings for the next volume. Aside from occasional surnames implying ethnic diversity, most human characters present White. A cosmic blend of magical monsters and scary science as frightening as it is fun. (Horror. 8-13)

--Kirkus Reviews "8/1/22"

About the Author

Heidi Lang managed to stumble upon the two best jobs in the world: writing for kids and walking dogs. If she's not out on the trails surrounded by wagging tails and puppy kisses, she's probably hunched over her laptop working on her next book. She lives in northern California with her husband and two adventure-loving dogs, and she is the coauthor of the Mystic Cooking Chronicles and Whispering Pines series, and author of Out of Range. Find her on X (previously known as Twitter) @HidLang or visit the website she shares with her writing partner at HeidiandKatiBooks.com.

Kati Bartkowski was originally drawn to illustration before she got swept up in the world of words. Nowadays she's a fan of creating fantastical creatures and feisty heroines in both mediums. If she's not reading, writing, or drawing, she's probably chasing after her high energy little girl. She lives in northern California and is the coauthor of the Mystic Cooking Chronicles and Whispering Pines series. Find her on X (previously known as Twitter) @KTBartkowski or visit the website she shares with her writing partner at HeidiandKatiBooks.com.