The Ginghams Review: A Thrilling Story About Embracing Your Uniqueness

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Publishing date: July 28, 2026

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Synopsis:

An eerie middle grade mystery debut that follows a young girl who returns home to find the people of her little town, including her best friend, chillingly changed after the arrival of the prim and proper Gingham family.

“A rip-roaring adventure, but more importantly, a kids’ power ballad to the importance of being yourself.” —New York Times-bestselling author Gordon Korman

When 12-year-old Joni Bird returns home from summer camp, it’s clear something strange is afoot in Olive Springs. May, her usually head-banging best friend, now wears her hair in a tight bun and calls playing the drums “unladylike.” The ice cream shop only serves vanilla ice cream. The women and girls of the neighborhood all sport big pearl earrings and crisp cotton dresses.

At the heart of it all? The creepy new family in the neighborhood with their soulless, carnival smiles and retro fashion sense: the Ginghams. Everyone they invite to their Thursday night book club re-emerges as dead-eyed, smiling, Gingham-approved “model citizens,” all thanks to Mr. Gingham’s lifestyle guide, The Pillars of Perfection—and something even more sinister hidden behind his basement door.

Through quick thinking and cunning, Joni and her friend Tyler set out to fight not only to get their friend May back, but to save their whole town from forever falling under the Ginghams’ control.

This book was a fun and fast read! It’s unique and moves along at the perfect pace; it was hard to put it down. I love how it talks about being yourself and celebrating what makes us different, but never in a boring or heavy way. It just shows how incredible it is to be unique through a thrilling story and characters you’ll actually root for.

It’s such an easy, enjoyable read that I think any kid will get totally sucked into it and maybe even walk away feeling a little prouder of what makes them, and everyone around them, one of a kind. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) 

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and Toppling Stacks Tours for the opportunity to be part of this book tour. Please visit this link for the Book Tour schedule.

About the Author

T.C. Kemper is an American author of sparky kidlit and speculative fiction. When she’s not sipping peppermint tea sweetened with local honey or hiking woodland trails with her family and rescue pup, she’s likely lost in a beautifully crafted story.

Upcoming release: THE GINGHAMS (Henry Holt BFYR/Macmillan Children’s): a fresh, middle grade twist on THE STEPFORD WIVES, with book banners as villains, A.I.-powered mind control, and a friendship breakup. This spooky sci-fi is full of spine-tingling surprises!

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