3.7 Stars
One Liner: A nice story for kids

December 1975
Flora Winter and her mother travel to a small seaside town, Helmersbruk, to spend the month of Christmas away from the city. Twelve-year-old Flora is in two minds about this move. Her mother is determined to make the most of this time to write and earn some living to support them.
Soon, Flora falls in love with their temporary residence and explores the grounds. The massive Helmersbruk Manor has been abandoned for decades and catches Flora's attention. She also hears whispers, sees strange animals, and meets a shy boy some years her senior.
When Flora realizes a mystery surrounding the Manor, she is determined to dig deeper. But does the house want her to solve it?
The story comes in Flora’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
After loving The Raspberry Hill by the author, I was excited about this. Originally, this book was published first in the author’s native native language Finnish. The translations are in the reverse order. (The books are standalone)
This one blends many genres like mystery, paranormal, family drama, etc. It is almost historical in terms of timeline though not quite. However, the vibes are very much historical.
The description of the setting – the manor, the extensive lands, the gatekeeper’s cottage, the labyrinth, the orangery, etc., is easy to visualize. The black and white pencil sketches by Elin Sandström (one at the beginning of each chapter) enhance the visual appeal.
The darkness of the place and the grief in the story align well. Flora and her mother are grieving the death of Flora’s father. The manor is grieving the loss of laughter within its walls. Fridolf is grieving the loss of his family.
That said, there are a few light moments to bring some smiles. Flora is an enthusiastic and curious girl. Her inner monologues can be fun at times. Of course, she also likes to make up stories.
However, the mystery and the paranormal elements are not strong enough. They may work for young readers, though I cannot be sure. I wouldn’t have minded a little more spookiness to the atmosphere. The reveals and twists are a bit too convenient, which dilutes the intensity. Still, kids may enjoy it for what it is. There is a treasure hunt to keep them hooked.
Apart from grief, the book explores bullying, class differences, family secrets, and guilt. These are pretty much surface-level, and some don’t get a resolution.
The past is presented in the form of a letter. This letter has a grayish tinge to differentiate it from the rest of the contents. However, you can see the color change only on the computer (PDF on the desktop/ laptop). The print version should be much better than Kindle if you want to notice these details.
The prologue is balanced by an epilogue and both come in the POV of the manor. We get a nice HEA, so everything ends well!

To summarize, The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor is a cozy paranormal mystery for middle graders. Give it a try if you like old houses and strange events, and a protag is determined to solve the mystery.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pushkin Press (Pushkin’s Children’s Books), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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A lovely little tale which will appeal to my young readers at school. Vivid and satisfying. Lovely characters and setting.

In The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor we follow Flora, a teen, who visits Helmersbruck with her mother for Christmas. The year is 1975.
Flora soon discovers a strange manor, strange items and happenings.
Flora's mother's a writer and Flora keeps exploring the odd small seaside town.
She is not entirely alone in her journey - voices, Egon and Fridolf accompany her in what she is about to find out.

This was a highly enjoyable and gripping read. I liked the characters, especially Flora and Egon.
The narrative was atmospheric and the illustrations were a perfect match.

Here is a breakdown of my thoughts

Plot 4/5 (good twists)
Pacing 3.5/5
Structure 4/5
Characterisation 4.5/5
Prose 4/5
Themes 4/5
Mood 4/5

It is 1975 when Flora and her mind take a journey to Helmersbruck- a seaside town- where they rent a small house close to an abandoned manor.
Upon arrival Flora is aware that the manor and its grounds have a story to tell- a mysterious white squirrel keep appearing, the discovery of a maze and the finding of small nativity figures in different locations all add into the mix of this curious story.

As the story unfolds, Flora becomes more and more attached tp the house and starts to make some startling discoveries....indicating there was a reason they were drawn to the hose in the first place.

This is a book that's not easy to categorise- adventure tale, ghost story, a light-touch gothic Christmas tale of other worldly spirits but also the story of a family and tragedies in times past.

Elin Sandström's illustrations add further magic to the tale. This is not as dark as Eva Krantz's The Mystery of Raspberry Hill but still a good read- perfect for festive winter evenings

Reading age range 10-13

I absolutely adored reading a hardback edition of The Secret of Helmersbruck Manor in October 2023. It's great to be able to share my review again ahead of the publication of the paperback edition in Autumn 2024.

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery called to me from my bookshelf today so I pushed everything else aside and spent a wonderful morning curled up with it. It completely drew me in. I love the darkness and mystery of Eva Frantz’s writing – carefully placed clues, shiver inducing sightings and layers of questions that allow the reader to really be a part of the story. Translated from Swedish by A. A. Prime, it is an engaging read with beautiful language and clarity. The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery has placed itself firmly as one of my favourite books of 2023.

A beautifully illustrated hardback, this is a book that feels special. Each of the 24 chapters begins with an intriguing black and white drawing that adds to the mystery. It’s a seasonal story that could be read a chapter a day in December but it will certainly be a challenge for readers to stop after just one chapter and wait until the next day to find out what happens next!

It’s December 1st, 1975. Twelve-year-old Flora Winter and her mother have gone to stay in the Gatekeeper’s Cottage at Helmersbruk Manor for a change of scenery. It’s their first Christmas since the death of Flora’s father and neither is quite sure how to handle it. As soon as they arrive, Flora wonders what her mother has gotten them into. It’s cold, dark and rainy – no sane person goes to the seaside in the middle of winter. The manor house itself is abandoned and dilapidated. The only welcome is from an unusual man named Fridolf and Egon, a strange boy who appears near the house.

With mum busy writing her next book, Flora is left on her own to explore the grounds. Picturing herself as the lady of the manor, she lets her imagination run wild. Rustling in the wind, flashes outside the window, the sudden appearance of little porcelain figures and a distant tinkling of music leave her feeling uneasy. There’s a definite magic about the manor – one that is unexplained and raises more questions with each page. Voices seem to know Flora. They appear in her dreams and invite her to explore further into the depth of the grounds, the labyrinth and the old summer house.

Flora is determined to find out the truth about the local legend of the von Hiems family, the magic spell on the manor house and the long lost treasure. What does a Christmas Eve tragedy 50 years ago have to do with Flora and her mother’s visit? Why are they able to open the gate to the grounds when other cannot? What is their connection to this strange place?

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery is a gripping story of identity and family – of loss and being found again. The past defines the future as Flora’s determination unravels secrets left unsaid for far too long.

Fans of The Haunting of Aveline Jones will thoroughly enjoy The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery.

Thank you to Pushkin Children’s for a copy of this spine-tingling Christmas mystery!

This Christmas story is both spooky and magical and it was a great combination! I really loved the illustrated chapter pages for the days of advent that was a lovely addition. This book gave me sort of The Secret Garden and Charlie Bone vibes and it was great, very immersive with really likable characters