The Mystery of the Indian Carvings by Gloria Repp was written primarily for middle school age readers, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story even though I am many decades past that age. Julie is a new Christian but she still struggles with her quick temper. Julie’s stepmother does not want her around so she is sent to Bartlett Island, Canada, to visit her dad’s brother and his family. Uncle Nate is working on a top secret project and he demands that the house be quiet at all times. His wife seems to be in a constant state of nervousness and his daughter lets Julie know in no uncertain terms that she does not want Julie in the house. To add to the problems, two very valuable artifacts are stolen from the house. Julie begins to wonder if maybe Karin is the thief for one of the items shows up in Julie’s room. Julie loves the island and spends a great deal of time exploring with Siem, the dog, who seems to be her only friend. In her exploring she meets an Indian shaman who befriends her and she also becomes friends with the young Indian boy that Uncle Nate is tutoring. Julie’s life becomes more bearable when she starts reading her Bible and praying to God for guidance in dealing with her cousin Karin.

As is normal for Gloria, she did an excellent job in developing all aspects of the book. I really enjoyed the characters for she described them so well that they came to life on the pages of the book and I even felt as if Julie were a dear little friend. The dialogue between all the characters was right on target and definitely what one would expect the character to say and their actions were true to life also. The scenes were so well described that at times I was right there in the woods with Julie exploring and getting lost. There were several twist and turns to the plot but all the loose ends were brought together for a very satisfactory ending that was a complete surprise to me but a happy one. I thoroughly enjoyed all the Indian lore that was included in the story. I had only one problem with the book and that was that it ended too soon. I certainly hope that the author will write a sequel for I want to know what happens between Julie and her cousin, Karin.

I highly recommend this book to any age over ten but even some younger readers might enjoy the book.

Thanks to the author, Gloria Repp, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )