Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Sam Campbell to bring you this post.
Family, memories, loss, mystery, new friends...today's book has it all and it has words like its title that kids may never have heard before!! Today we are sharing a middle grade novel that is packed with mysterious things and people. It is called Quagmire and is by Sam Campbell. After my review is a giveaway.
About the Book:
QuagmireWritten by Sam Campbell
Ages: 8–12 | 179 Pages | Independently Published (2026) | ISBN-13: 979-8197255112
Publisher's Book Summary: Cooper Knox joined the Gator Island Public Library's weekly book club to get his mind off his parents selling his late grandfather's motel—not help solve a missing persons case.
But old Mr. O'Malley has become a dear friend, so when the local news reveals his boat washed ashore unoccupied, Cooper's determined to find his fellow club member. The only clue? A crude map left behind by Mr. O'Malley.
As summer days grow hotter on Gator Island, twelve-year-old Cooper, along with Mr. O'Malley's granddaughter, Penny, navigate the winding canals and marshes in hopes of finding the missing bookworm. But following the map also means plunging into the Dark Swamp, where a legendary monster is said to be lurking….
Can Cooper find Mr. O'Malley AND save Pops' motel before it's too late?
Praise for Quagmire:
"This novel is perfect for third or fourth graders looking for contemporary realism with a dash of mystery and endearingly quirky characters." —Kirkus Reviews
Purchase Links:
Amazon | Bookshop.org
About the Author:
Sam Campbell began writing his first novel at the age of fourteen, which was (surprise surprise) total garbage. He hopes he has improved since then. When he's not writing, he likes to read, work out, and watch movies with his family. He also suffers from a terrible addiction to McDonald's frappes. Mocha, of course.
Website | Instagram
From Me:
In this book Cooper's grandfather has passed away recently and his family is spending the summer at the hotel Pops owned. His parents are fixing it up to try to sell it since business has been awful ever since the last pink fish died. Cooper loves the hotel and being on Gator Island. He joined the library's book club, and an old man befriended him. Cooper told Mr. O'Malley about how his parents want to sell the hotel, and the next day Mr. O'Malley is missing. Mr. O'Malley's granddaughter, Penny, comes to book club to find clues about what happened to her grandfather. Cooper and Penny team up to find Mr. O'Malley after the police do not believe their found clue. While each is dealing with loss, family and a new friendship they help each other even when it takes them into the scary dark swamp that Pops always told Cooper to never go in.
This story is interesting and fun. It has some humorous antics as well as moments of courage and desperation. The two unlikely and seemingly socially awkward tweens become friends and are actually what each other needs. Penny seems to be a bit of a know it all and loves to use fancy words. This helps introduce readers to words they may not otherwise know or hear like quagmire. In fact, if this book is being read for a class or book club, I would suggest having kids keeping a list of the words they had not known and having them look each one up. Penny's knowledge at times drives Cooper crazy and at other times is the assurance he needs that she is correct.
The book delves into relationships both with family and friends as well as memories and dreams. It becomes important to Cooper and his friends to keep his grandfather's dream alive. They work hard to do so and find what will make the hotel a success again. They even may have to face the mysterious monster of the swamp, Baba. The characters are well developed and the story flows and makes you want to find out what happens next. I love how Cooper and Penny seem to be misfits that find each other and help each other deal with loss and more. It is the perfect book for middle grade kids to have some real-life situations with a little mystery and possible magic.
Giveaway:
Five lucky winners will each receive a signed paperback copy of Quagmire by Sam Campbell, and one grand prize winner will take home an extra-special Quagmire prize pack featuring a signed paperback, a bookmark, stickers, and a Pink Fountain Motel keychain!
