The Long-Lost Locket

Waldameer Mystery Files #1

by David Gorman

An exciting mystery with heart, set at a beloved amusement park in Pennsylvania.

Siblings Seth and Julia practically live at Waldameer, the local amusement park, during the summer. While showing their friends around the park, they find an old locket near the carousel.

How long has the locket been lost, and what's the photograph inside it? Most importantly: whose locket is it? Their quest to find the locket's owner unearths Waldameer history in the process.

Follow Seth, Julia, Tyren, and Anh as they search for clues, outsmart bullies, and make unexpected friendships in their very first Waldameer mystery!

Described by the author as a modern Boxcar Children-type mystery with a fast pace, diverse characters, and life lessons.

Genres: Childrens

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2021

About the author

Hey there, I'm David, and one of my favorite hobbies is writing mystery books for kids! ​

My family owns and operates Waldameer & Water World, an amusement park in Erie, Pennsylvania. Similar to the two main characters in my books, Seth and Julia, I spent much of my childhood playing and working at Waldameer.

On a whim, I decided to write a story about four kids solving a mystery at Waldameer, and the Waldameer Mystery Files series was born!

Reviews

[Maria Shuffit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an Erie native but moved away ten years ago. On a visit back to Erie, I was delighted to find this book series about one of the staples of Erie summers, Waldameer!

What a fun story! I'm well beyond the age of the intended audience but I enjoyed the many Erie references and the simple but delightful mystery. I'm looking forward to reading more of the series!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Fun to see Erie, Presque Isle, and Waldameer from a middle-graders point-of-view. Fun mystery as well, with some great supporting characters.
Too bad the rest of the series doesn't have audio because I truly would have been all over these. I will recommend them for sure.

[Christopher Churilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with a thrilling mystery enclosed. It’s certainly a page turner and leaves you with a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. The nostalgia for Waldameer Park truly brings charm to this book!

[Melissa S · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughters and I had a lot of fun reading these Waldameer Mystery Files books together over the last month. These books are part of a mystery series located in Waldameer Park, Erie PA. Siblings Seth and Julia spend a lot of their summer at Waldameer, since their mom works at the fudge shack. Together with several friends, they discover and solve a mystery in each book relating to the amusement park, learning more about the park's history along the way. If you're anywhere near NW PA, Waldameer is a real gem of an amusement park, rich with history and classic rides but boasting some impressive new thrill rides and coasters as well. Visiting the park is one of our family's favorite activities. Using the park as the setting was really clever and engaging, we loved reading about the rides and locations that we frequent on our trips to the park. We also loved that Seth and Julia had such a diversity of friends. With their different backgrounds, ethnicities and abilities, they each bring something unique to the mystery solving team. These books were nostalgic and charming and would be perfect for elementary school students, especially those that are fans of Waldameer.

[Heather Hedderman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a local to Erie, I love local lore and legends. It was our first summer car read.

My kids like the story at ages 12,10,7

As mom, it was not super riveting as read aloud but still kudos to our local author!

[Katie Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute kids book! My 9 year old loved it and can’t wait to read the others. We visit Erie (my hometown) and always go to Waldameer in the summer so my son loved that he knew of the places that were referenced.

[Alysabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for older elementary schoolers! As a former employee of Waldameer and a life-long Erie resident, I can say that the author does a great job of setting the scene. Nicely done!

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Any fan of Waldameer Park will enjoy it.

[Books and Roller Coasters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and cute amusement park mystery! Made me feel like I was there.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute. Particularly fun because we've been to Waldameer.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. Reminded me of The Boxcar Children, but set in my hometown.

[Laura Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siblings Seth and Julia take their friends, Tyren and Anh to Waldameer Park in Erie, PA. While there, they find an old necklace which a local jeweler explains is actually a locket. The four friends then set out to find the owner of the locket while dodging some neighborhood bullies who want to steal the locket and hold it for ransom.

The Long-Lost Locket is a short but sweet mystery novel that features a fun setting, a nice group of a kids, and a good-natured summer story. The mystery itself is very tame and low stakes, but there is a lot of fast-paced action and twists and turns along the way.

You can read my full review here: https://laurasbooksandblogs.com/the-l...

[Louis Rullo Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

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