The Ginghams

Written By Sheetal Rao - Umesh Kumar

Cover Page

  • Name: G.Rao

  • Title of Book: The Ginghams 

  • Author: T. C. Kemper

  • Date: September 2026

  • Genre: Science Fiction

  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

  • Copyright Year: 2026

  • Number of pages: 240

  • Ages: 8 - 12

  • Rating: * * * * *

Book Summary

When Joni and Tyler come back from camp, everything is different. Their best friend, May, suddenly keeps her hair up in a tight ballerina bun. She also talks a lot about a new girl named Charlotte Ann Gingham. Later, Charlotte Ann invites Joni’s family to a book club at their house and they realize that something is different—and not in a good way. When Joni is exploring the mysterious family’s basement, Mr. Gingham knocks her away from a bizarre door. As she is trying to solve the mystery, she notices that the Ginghams have given some girls a pair of pearl earrings and every boy a large silver watch. She discovers that the jewelry is connected to an AI bot, which controls people's emotions and the way they act. Joni makes up her mind that she has to stop whatever Mr. Gingham is doing, especially when he enforces a new dress code in which every girl who doesn’t have the pearl earrings has to wear a pair of them. Will Joni be able to save Olive Town?

Describe the main character

Joni is a 12-year-old girl who has two best friends, Tyler and May. She has a dog named Doctor Strangepup and two kind parents. She loves art, and even went to an art camp over the summer.

Describe the setting

Olive Town is a petite town with an ice cream shop that is also a library called Bookies and Cream, a middle and high school, and a couple of other staple stores. Joni loves her town and is determined to save it from the AI pearls.

Favorite part

I loved when Charlotte Ann had to prove that she was against the robotic pearls, but Tyler didn’t believe that she was against her father. He forced her to do the most unladylike thing possible, since the pearls made everyone very polite. In other words, Tyler told Charlotte Ann to fart. I think that this part was hysterically funny, and it was by far the best part of the story.

Sheetal Rao - Umesh Kumar
Next

Iceberg