No-one wants to be in a cabin with Nicky at their school camp in the forest. He’s known for his terrible pranks, affecting students and teachers alike, but also for his ability to avoid detection or punishment.

Grace is unhappy being separated from her best friend Mina, and she hates the unexpected change in cabinmates which includes Nicky. Olivia is even more put out at having to be so close to the boy who ruined her best friend’s life, and in turn her own. Their last cabinmate is Leo who has his own problems without Nicky being in the same room.

All silently vow to avoid Nicky as much as possible. They achieve this and go to bed on their first night at camp without having to speak to him. But when they wake the next morning – he is nowhere to be found.

Camp is cancelled, police are asking questions and the three people who saw him last are thrown together in a quest to find him. They all have their own reasons but aren’t keen to share them. After all, Nicky was the worst of the worst at school, making other’s lives terrible enough to even move away from their small town called Snowy Valley.

But this unlikely trio begin to uncover secrets about the town bully, and about others too. Is there more to Nicky, their town, and a seemingly endless list of people wanting their own revenge?

This is an engaging read which I finished in one sitting. There is more than just a mystery to this novel. School and friendship dynamics are a big part of the narrative, with peer pressure, blame, guilt and understanding all stirred in. The three main characters have their own viewpoints shared in alternate chapters, all as they pull clues together that the police missed.

Set in less than 24 hours, the plot is fast moving and immersive, getting to know the characters and revealing to them and readers that although you can share a classroom, school or town with a person your whole life, it is far from really knowing or understanding them.

Where is Nicky? Was he kidnapped? Did he run away, or has someone finally achieved revenge on the school bully? This is the question that drives the whole story and grips the reader.  

Author – Daphne Benedis-Grab

Age – 11+

(2023, Scholastic, Secret, Bullies, School, Friendship, Revenge, Mystery, Peer Pressure, Pranks, Tricks, Bullying, Targets, School Camp, Disappearance, Police questioning, Field Trip, Seventh Grade, Investigation, Victims, Thriller, Missing Persons)