Review by Kimberly Bayliss

Could there be anything more magical than a Christmas mystery novel split into twenty-four advent readable chapters? This book combines my two favourite things – Christmas and mystery – and would make a remarkably fun yuletide read for a middle-grade or younger YA reader who also enjoys a bit of mysterious holiday whimsy. 

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery was written in Swedish by Eva Frantz and translated to English by AA Prime. The story is beautifully told, filled with festive imagery to put the reader into the Christmas spirit. The illustrations by Elin Sandström included in each chapter really added to the text, and I found myself flipping back to them as I read.  

The story follows the adventures of twelve-year-old Flora Winter, who escapes city life with her mother to get some fresh sea air in the quaint town of Helmersbruk for the Christmas holidays after the passing of Flora’s father. Flora and her mother are the first guests to stay on the extensive grounds of the abandoned Helmersbruk Manor, once inhabited by the von Hiems family, which holds an untold secret yet to be uncovered. 

Flora spends her days exploring the deserted grounds, discovering a labyrinth, amongst other curious oddities and becomes fascinated with discovering the secret of the manor house. She very quickly discovers that things are not what they seem as she uncovers mysterious objects, an unusual boy who lives on the grounds, a phantom white squirrel, and hears whispers and eerie Christmas tunes in odd places. 

Whilst the story makes a great Christmas read as the whimsical snowy pastoral setting really adds to its charm, The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor also explores more serious themes of parental loss and bullying – both things that our main character, Flora, must, unfortunately, deal with. These themes are both handled in a sensitive, caring manner for readers who may have also experienced the same. I also appreciated that the story was not overly scary, and where it might be for a younger reader, the resolute confidence of the main character and her determination to not let anything frighten her provides a calming reassurance. 

The hardest part for me would be to read this as the author intended – as an advent book over twenty-four days – as I devoured the whole novel in just a few sittings. Whilst the novel was slightly predictable toward the end and perhaps felt a bit rushed to tie up all the loose ends, I did feel the ending was rewarding and, overall, I would say it is a tree-mendous Christmas read that will keep you hooked. 

The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor: A Christmas Mystery
Written by Eva Frantz, translated by AA Prime, and illustrated by Elin Sandström
2023, Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781782694182

Southern Californian, turned Londoner, Kimberly Bayliss (she/her) is a digital editor for a marketing company by day and a part-time student at Goldsmiths, University of London by night. She is on the MA Children’s Literature creative writing course and has a Master of Research in Applied Linguistics. In her free time, you’ll find her reading and writing picture books and middle grade fiction, playing the clarinet, and adventuring in the great outdoors with her two best friends – her husband and golden retriever. You can catch her #KidLit musings on Twitter/X @zotgrl. 

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GLLI’s 2024 International YA Literature Month has been curated by Dr Emily Corbett. She is a lecturer in children’s and young adult literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she leads the MA Children’s Literature: Theoretical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature programme. Her research focuses on the growth and development of YA from literary, publishing, and cultural perspectives. She is also General Editor of The International Journal of Young Adult Literature and was founding Vice President of the YA Studies Association. Her monograph, In Transition: Young Adult Literature and Transgender Representation (2024), is forthcoming with the University Press of Mississippi in June. You can find her contact details on her institutional website and connect with her on Twitter and Instagram via @DrEmilyCorbett.

Opinions expressed in posts on this site are the individual author’s and are not indicative of the views of Global Literature in Libraries Initiative.