- Chapter Books
- Ages 8–12
- Mystery
Beyond the Secret Lake
Book 3 of 3 in The Secret LakeView the full series
A century-old letter pulls the children back to 1913 and a grand estate where a young heir has fallen mysteriously ill and a villain is at work. The longest and most plotted Secret Lake adventure, and winner of the 2025 UK Selfies Children's Book Award.
- Best for8–12
- FormatChapter
- Length334 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr45 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Suspenseful
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Warm
- Nostalgic
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When Tom and Stella find a hundred-year-old letter from their Edwardian friend Jack, his plea for help sends them and their friend Hannah back down the time tunnel to 1913. At the grand Penworth Estate they are reunited with Lucy, Emma and Sophie — but all is not as it seems. The young heir, Sebastian, has fallen mysteriously ill, tensions run high in the household, and secrets lurk in every shadowy corner. As the time-travelling friends dig into the truth behind Sebastian's illness, they realise a villain is at work with a deadly plan, and it falls to them to expose it before it is too late. The third book in the international bestselling series is its most tightly plotted yet — a proper country-house mystery layered over the time-slip adventure, with a larger cast, higher stakes and a satisfying whodunit at its core. Warm and gripping in equal measure, it won the 2025 UK Selfies Children's Book Award. Best read after the first two books, whose friendships and history it builds on.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A 8-12 read and the longest in the series, best suited to confident readers who can hold a larger cast and a layered mystery in mind. Younger fans will still enjoy it read aloud. Read after the first two books, whose relationships it builds on.
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- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
None
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: illness or disability.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Time travel adventure
- Mystery lovers
- Series fans
- Award winning
Avoid if
- Wants standalone
- Sensitive to serious illness
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
A letter from a hundred years ago sends the friends back to a shadowy country estate, where a boy is ill, a villain is hiding, and nothing is what it seems. It's a full whodunit stacked on top of the time-travel thrills, with a bigger cast to root for.
- Time travel
- Being a detective
- Adventure and freedom
- Having a nemesis
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The most ambitious book in the series marries a classic country-house mystery to the time-slip premise, giving older fans a proper puzzle to unpick. Its 2025 Selfies Award win reflects strong, confident storytelling that reads aloud well and rewards attention.
- Nostalgia
- Conversation starter
In the series
The Secret Lake.
3 books · open the series →
About the author
Karen Inglis.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
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