Mystery and suspense build in Author Erin Soderberg Downing’s What Happened Then! I would definitely recommend this mystery book to those ages 8 to 13.

When Avery’s family plans a reunion at her mom’s family’s cabin, Avery is thrilled to spend time with her aunts and cousins who she never sees. But when Avery discovers pages of an old journal, Avery and her cousin Jax are determined to uncover the hidden truth about what happened decades earlier. But will revealing the secret about what happened on the island years earlier tear their family apart forever?

Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Avery, Jax and their families are going to the Island that their parents went to every summer. That is until something tragic happened. The cousins are determined to figure out the mystery and get the family back together. The story alternates being told by Jax and Avery. Also, from the present to the past. The pair end up finding pieces of a diary throughout the island, which helps them unlock the mystery.

I enjoyed this book and it was a very quick read, because I couldn’t put it down. I wish the book wrapped more things in the end.

I really liked the dual narration in this book. We got to see from both sides and learn about their families as they are digging into this past family mystery.
I liked the changes and development in their relationship.
I liked that things weren't all tied up at the end that leaves it open for discussion.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

What Happened Then delves into some pretty heavy issues while solving a decades old family mystery. The family comes back together after being long-fractured for reasons the children don't understand. The two POV characters, Jax and Avery, make it their mission to reunite the family.

Their treasure hunt around the island for clues left from a long-ago summer is one of the most engaging elements, as is the friendship and love that develop between the two as they try to solve the mystery and just spend time with each other and the other cousins.

Both kids are dealing with difficult immediate family dynamics, and neither one feels fully welcome or accepted. I do wish there had been a little more resolution on those elements--Jax's dad in particular displays a lot of cruelty that I'd like to see challenged more explicitly for middle grade readers.

The setting is really fun and idyllic (I wish I had an island to escape to all summer!).

There are a lot of loose threads at the end of the book (Avery's parents, Robbie's future), but most of them leave room for thoughtful discussion with a MG reader.

Thanks to Scholastic for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot begin to express how much I loved "What Happened Then". I have read many of Erin's books- and this one did not disappoint. It is a switch from some of her previous books- yet the heart remains the same. Family. At the core- this book is about family and the importance of coming to terms with difficult memories. I love the island- the connections built between cousins. And the connections rebuilt between their parents as siblings. I just quite simply loved it.

Probably best described as Ordinary People for the middle school set, What Happened Then follows two 12 year old cousins, both of whom feel unwanted and awkward within their families, as they uncover the secrets around the death of their parents' youngest sibling decades before. The so-called twist is painfully obvious from the start, but knowing it doesn't seem to significantly impact the reading experience. Significant trigger warnings for parental verbal abuse and multi generational trauma. Additional trigger warnings for child death (not explicitly described - cause: drowning), terminal diagnosis (ALS), marital separation, grief, multi generational trauma and restrictive gender roles. Some more sensitive readers may not be able to manage this story well, so caution and as needed support is advised.

Also, this was the first book I have read where the theme of hearkening back to "the old days" was in fact explicitly hearkening back to my childhood which, frankly, needs a trigger warning too because I was in no way prepared to be associated with the dysfunctional parents trope!

One secret. Two generations.

Dual POVs of similarly aged cousins but dissimilar in every other way.
Avery's 'voice' is bright as her personality. She's also intuitive and reflective. She clearly sees how others (school acquaintances and even family) view her.

Jax's 'voice' is more subdued. The reader later discovers the why behind it.
All in all author's metaphor of colors in a crayon box is needless to say, an apt one.

What makes this an engaging read is the treasure hunt of sorts entwined in a mystery worthy of the classic girl and boy detectives, "Nancy Drew" and "Encyclopedia Brown".

There's a bit of a dark turn in the book that didn't see from the blurb. A description of a 'heart-clencher" doesn't go far enough to describe the event for me.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Scholastic | Scholastic Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#WhatHappenedThen #NetGalley

This book is an amazing book. It left me thinking in the best kind of ways. Family members journey to an island to piece together clues of why they have been estranged. Great relationships and character development.

A summer on an island with aunts and uncles and cousins would be my kids’ dream. Not so though for this family who has lost countless summers together since tragedy struck.
Restoration, forgiveness, and finding redeeming qualities in one another are great themes in this multigenerational story.