The Last Rhee Witch

Jenna Lee-Yun’s debut middle grade novel is the perfect blend of spooky and suspenseful, with a fun summer camp setting and a huge helping of Korean folklore.12-year-old Ronnie Miller isn’t 100% sure where she fits in, and when she starts compulsively rhyming every sentence it doesn’t help matters. When her dad sends her away to summer camp, Ronnie is certain he just wants to be rid of her for two weeks, but that soon becomes the least of her worries. Camp Foster is full of strange happenings that are seemingly centered around Ronnie’s own mysterious past. Before long, she’s immersed in secrets involving gwishin and dokkaebi, which maybe, just maybe, will lead her to the answers she didn’t even know she needed.

This was such a fun and spooky read that’s perfect for anyone gearing up for summer vacation! Filled with magic, mystery, and Korean folklore, Jenna Lee Yun transports you too a works much like our own—but infinitely more exciting.Welcome to Camp Foster—where the cat isn’t just a cat, the cookbooks pack a little extra oomph, the forest is FORBIDDEN, and you should avoid red scarves at all cost. (Trust me, they clash with the fit). And let’s not forget about the ghost.Will you be able to say you met the ghost of Camp Foster (and survived)? There’s only one way to find out!

I can’t say enough about how much I love this book. It’s the perfect blend of spine-tingling mystery and heartwarming moments with family and friends, woven through with rich Korean lore. While immersed in these pages, I explored Camp Foster with Ronnie and her friends (and maybe enemies??), tackling challenges that go way beyond the sky-high ropes course. Ronnie’s, like, 99% sure there are no ghosts, but she’s about to be proven wrong. The figure in white who floats above the summer camp kicks off a supernatural mystery Ronnie needs to solve before she loses the most important people in her life—or her life itself.

The Last Rhee Witch is a middle grade book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Anytime a book makes me feel multiple emotions, the author did their job well in making me feel for the characters. My 5th grader kid is excited to read this book and as a parent, I'm thrilled. This book brings up topics about self identity that carries valuable lessons my kid will benefit from. I had similar self identity conflicts growing up (like wanting to prove that I'm "Asian enough" during grade/middle school) and I love that this author talks about it. Anyway, this fun summer camp book has supernatural adventure that is not too creepy or anything. My kid loves middle school horror books, but this book is more focused on the story and characters rather than just trying to creep you out, if that makes sense. It has good character development and the story kept me interested. Nothing went too fast nor too slow. I can't wait for my kid to read it!

My Boo’s declared that The Last Rhee Witch is purrrfectly clawsome! If you read ONE book in 2024, make it this one. You'll fall in love with spunky, headstrong Ronnie, who started compulsively rhyming when she turned 12 and has no idea why. Her anxious dad haplessly sends her away to a very strange summer camp, in hopes that it'll help her "condition". He's wrong, of course. The eerie goings-on at Camp Foster don't really help her rhyming...but they do help her discover the root cause of the rhyming... and soon Ronnie is caught up with ghosts, goblins, best friends (or just camp friends?), a few odd witches, and an ADORABLE black cat named Boo. THE LAST RHEE WITCH is steeped in magic, mystery, adventure, best friendships, Korean lore, and is a total must-read for kids and adults alike!!!