Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Legend of the Storm Sneezer is an enigmatic and highly enjoyable work of fantasy fiction for children penned by author Kristiana Sfirlea. The opening part of The Stormwatch Diaries book series, this charming tale for middle grade and young adult readers focuses on Rose Skyler, our thirteen-year-old protagonist. Rose sneezed a storm cloud when she was born, but as she gets older this magical cloud becomes less and less stable, resulting in Rose’s residence at Heartstone Asylum. The facility lies at the heart of a haunted forest, but its ghosts are beginning to wander. So begins a paranormal adventure with time travel, spirits, magic, and mayhem aplenty.

This might be one of the best fantasy books for MG readers and younger teens that I’ve ever encountered. Author Kristiana Sfirlea captivates with a concept that is initially simple but expands with complex beauty and metaphysical elements that adult readers will enjoy just as much as the intended audience. Rose is well developed as a precocious but fallible heroine, and I especially loved her figment friend Marek, who was as fascinating in character concept as in the presentation of dialogue and description. The work is lavish and beautifully imagined with cinematic use of descriptive lexis, as well as a solid and exciting plotline that brings core concepts together without confusion or contradiction. Overall, Legend of the Storm Sneezer is both utterly charming and highly accomplished in its formation: a rare find indeed, and one to be treasured.

Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Ghost Hunters: Bones in the Wall by Susan McCauley is the first in a series of kids’ mystery stories. Alex is 12 years old and is a popular member of his school's Ghostball team. A car accident leaves him with a badly injured hip, and he can no longer play with his team. But it also left him with a gift – the ability to see and hear ghosts. Now he’s being haunted by a malevolent spirit, and he must turn to his aunt, his cousin, and his best friend to help him work out who the bones in the wall belong to and how to put the ghosts to rest for good. But he also has help from an unexpected source. Alex has no option but to embrace his newfound powers because the alternative – losing his family forever – is too terrible to consider.

Ghost Hunters: Bones in the Wall by Susan McCauley is a strong start to a new series aimed at children, although I’m sure a few adults will enjoy the stories too. This is an exceptionally well-written tale that is just long enough to get immersed in the plot and completely invested in the story. This isn’t just a kid’s tale though, as the author has done a great job of dealing with other real scenarios like loss and grief, not to mention true friendship and a lesson on placing your trust in the right people. The characters are well-developed, growing throughout the story, and I suspect we will see more development in the next book – which I will be reading! The plot is steady, the suspense growing throughout, and the addition of a few different ghosts helps this to be a good all-rounder, rather than your typical paranormal story about one bad spirit. This great book is guaranteed enjoyment for anyone who reads it!

Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Most young girls love to shop; they love to go to the mall to hang out and look around. Imagine if you actually lived at the mall! Right in the center, in the heart of it! And, what if your house is like a giant wishing well that people toss coins at and into, usually down the chimney. Other things are tossed down the chimney, too, but the coins are the most useful and least disgusting. Chloe hates her home, hates her neighborhood. I mean, really, who would want to live with storefronts as your neighbors and shoppers as the gawkers? And that’s when things really start to get weird. It all begins with the egging of a storefront and the blame somehow goes back to Chloe and her mom. Can Chloe’s new mystery group at school help solve this mystery? Before someone really gets hurt?

Kimberly Baer’s middle-grade novel, Mall Girl Meets the Shadow Vandal, is a great mystery for young readers, with a very unusual setting, which one could argue is all a part of the mystery. The reader will instantly feel connected to the protagonist, Chloe. The story is told in the first-person narrative and Chloe, the narrator, tells a compelling story. As she describes the wishing-pond scenario of their little house in the middle of the mall, the reader will share a chuckle at the list of things tossed into the chimney and around the yard outside. The yard is another interesting attribute – it’s not real, but fake grass, to prevent the family, which is only Chloe and her mother, from having to cut the grass or dig up weeds or water or any one of those usual yard things one does.

There is a lot of humor in some of the crazy things Chloe describes, but there’s also a lot of angst. The reader will have to agree that even though the stores are all around giving easy access for a shopping spree, there is no privacy. And that’s one thing a teen girl craves the most: privacy. It’s a good thing Chloe’s a reader and she likes reading mysteries because as the plot thickens around a series of unusual nocturnal happenings in the mall, it takes all her Nancy Drew sleuthing skills to solve the mystery. A great read full of fun, adventure, mystery, and the trials of making friends in the very critical teen world.

Reviewed By Peggy Jo Wipf for Readers' Favorite

The Secret of the 14th Room by Rebecca Hemlock is just as intriguing and mysterious as the cover hints. Levi Corbin is called home to Granton, Tennessee after the death of his Grandma Dorothy. She reared him after the deaths of his parents, but he left this small town as soon as he could get away. His cousin, Silas Corbin, was also called to the reading of Grandma Dorothy's will. Levi and Silas never got along as children and now found themselves teamed up to care for this historic house. They must work together or they will lose the house. Silas's trouble followed him back to Tennessee. Levi borders on losing everything that is dear again and giving into bitterness that consumes all.

Rebecca Hemlock has a talent for getting inside the heads and hearts of her characters as The Secret of the 14th Room unfolds into a mesmerizing novel. The author plays on your emotions; you will feel empathy when Silas is sitting in jail, fear of losing Bella, and dread as Levi's stored anger threatens to consume him. Will the spark of romance die out between Abigail and Levi before they even have a chance? You feel as you enter the story and live it through the characters. This novel is the first of the Granton House mysteries and sets the expectations high for the next book. This book is well-written, and there is enchanting historical detail that will grip your attention. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries with a touch of history.

Reviewed By Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Granny JJ is always right and in the story The Granny JJ Adventures: Guyana’s Daily Detective (Volume 1) by Joshua Cartwright, readers are introduced to her where she lives in a little house surrounded on three sides by a bush in Soesdyke, Guyana. Granny always marks the story with a special fingerprint after solving the mystery. Granny speaks Creole mixed with words from African, Arawakan, Dutch, and East Indian languages. This collection of stories takes young readers along with Granny, who does not like dogs but ends up having one. They also get to see her solving the mystery of the stolen soup and other interestingadventures. So what are the mysteries Granny solves and what are her adventures? Let us read the book to find out.

The stories are adorable and written in Creole, which is the Guyanese English, it is a fun read. Granny’s character is well sketched and her zest for life and righteousness is infectious. The black and white illustrations are delightful, just like the story, and they can be colored, making it more appealing to young readers. The stories are fun and can be used in classrooms for interactive sessions and bedtime story-telling. I like the way Granny stays active and alert, despite her age, and that is encouraging to readers as it will make them realize that age is not a barrier. All the stories and all the characters in the stories are lovable and memorable and they will make children want more adventures from Granny. I cannot wait for Volume 2 and I am sure readers will echo that thought with me!

Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Swallowed by a Secret is a work of children’s fiction penned by author Risa Nyman. A contemporary and realistic tale with a little dash of magical realism thrown in, this is a somewhat serious and emotive story that deals with grief, betrayal, secrets and other social issues for young people who have lost a parent. Our protagonist is the twelve-year-old Rocky, who realizes that the narrative surrounding the death of his father is false. When Rocky hears his deceased father telling him to investigate, he teams up with his new friend Olive to try to make sense of the world he thought he knew.

Author Risa Nyman has created a beautiful and heartfelt tale with a lot of emotional punch, and one from which both middle grade and young adult readers will be able to learn. The plot itself is well crafted to produce a kind of sleuth/mystery narrative as the tale progresses, but the real gems in this highly literary novel are its characters and their personal growth and development. I especially loved the relationship between Rocky and Olive; their support and understanding of one another lend a supportive hand right out of the novel and into the hearts of kids who could be going through the same issues. Rocky’s journey is well narrated and his dialogue is realistic and appealing for a young audience, which also makes his issues and emotional standpoint stand out all the more. Overall, Swallowed by a Secret is a masterclass of contemporary social issues and is a highly recommended read.

Reviewed By Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite

Pekin Dewlap has had an obsession with spirits and the unknown for as long as she can remember. This might be because she could actually see ghosts. As she grew older this gift began to wane, but she wants to contact and help spirits still. In high school now, Pekin starts up a ghost hunting business and finally gets her first client. Elonia inherited 12 Elmwood but has had difficulty in fixing it up and selling it. For decades the house had been left unattended and abandoned due to a spirit that drives everyone away. Elonia enlists young Pekin to rid the house of the ghost, so she can sell the place. Pekin gets her two best friends Scout and Amber to help her out with her first job. The supernatural activity takes place immediately after the teens set foot in the abandoned house. The trio soon finds out that the house was the scene of a crime that took place nearly a hundred years earlier. Young Miranda Talbert was fourteen when she went missing and was never found again. After a few weekends of them visiting and cleaning up the old house, none other than Miranda Talbert herself appears. Will Pekin and her friends be able to help young Miranda cross over? Or will her murderer succeed in silencing them once and for all?

I think Pamela McCord did an amazing job with The Haunting of Elmwood Manor: A Pekin Dewlap Mystery. Being interested in the paranormal, I found Pekin and her hobby very relatable. She’s a well-written character who is easily likable, along with her best friend Scout. It took me a while to warm up to Amber’s character but midway through the book I found myself liking her as well. It’s a unique plot that is unlike many supernatural books I have read before. The storyline is easy to follow and grasps readers' attention whether they are a middle schooler or an adult. Miranda’s backstory was really chilling and fascinating to read about. The book definitely had a Nancy Drew and Supernatural feel to it. I also liked the ending which was something that I didn’t expect but found myself loving. I’d definitely like to read more about these modern-day ghostbusters in the future.

Reviewed By Rylanne Burdette for Readers' Favorite

When Shayla wakes up from a lovely night of sleep with the socks missing, she and her mom search everywhere. Literally everywhere. From the table to the drawer and under the door, the quest for the missing socks ensues. During the search, Shayla and her mom rhyme together, talking about the missing socks and speculating about where they may be. Will this sweet little girl ever be able to find her socks? Where Are Shayla's Socks? by Michael Dotsikas and Natalie McNee is a cute story with a bit of a mysterious plot.

This was such a fun and adorable little book! The illustrations by Morgan Spicer were so well done, and they really helped capture the story in vivid imagery. The rhythmic dialogue between Shayla and her mother made the story read like a song. It was fast-paced and exciting, and I think that so many children will love this sweet book. Although not much else happens in the story aside from the search for the missing socks, I could feel the love between mother and daughter, and it was cute as they teamed up to find the socks that had mysteriously disappeared. I would absolutely recommend this book to young children in the Kindergarten to the 3rd-grade range, as I feel this story would be fun and exciting for them. It would also be a great stepping stone to give to young kids when they are just starting to learn to read on their own. Overall, Where Are Shayla's Socks? by Michael Dotsikas and Natalie McNee was a great read!

Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Mystery at Point Beach: Bushwacked by Kate Jungwirth and Deborah Erdmann is a fun children’s adventure that is clearly part of a series about these three young sleuths, written by this author team. When Dominic goes camping with his Grandfather Bob (GB), in his reliable, old nimrod camper, they invariably go to Point Beach where Dominic meets up with his two compatriots in adventure, Forest and Sailor, grandchildren of the old hippy woman and Native American, Windsong. On this adventure, Dominic has a dream about a large bear chasing him through the woods, which turns out to be very prophetic. Dom and his two sidekicks will find themselves caught up in a mystery that dates back eighty-odd years as they search for the hidden treasure of an old-timer lumberjack and forest worker from the 1930s depression. All the time the trio must be on the lookout for the interfering and annoying Ranger Rick who always seems determined to put a halt to their sleuthing before it even gets started.

I found it really great fun to read a children’s adventure story again. Mystery at Point Beach: Bushwacked is a pleasant romp through childhood fun and adventure whilst on holiday. I couldn’t help but hark back to the books of my own childhood, especially those of the Famous Five. Authors Kate Jungwirth and Deborah Erdmann have found the perfect balance between fear and the sense of childhood adventure inherent in all of us. Dom, Forest, and Sailor are the perfect combination for this type of activity; Dom is logical, mindful of clues, and of not losing sight of the objective, whereas Forest adds the sass, the sarcasm and the hi-jinks necessary to make this an engaging and exciting tale for youngsters. Sailor, though, is not just the token girl in the story; she may be frightened at times but she also has some things that are necessary to the team’s success and she is capable of meeting the challenges and overcoming them. The Ranger was drawn to an extreme as the bumbling professional, which gave the tale an added character, especially for younger readers who love the idea of adults making mistakes from time to time. Just the right length for the younger reader, this story will resonate with a wide age group and it is one I can highly recommend.

Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Frankie’s a black and white cat; Mindy’s a three colored Australian Shepherd and Jagger is a raccoon. Best friends, they belong to everyone in the suburban neighborhood of Blue Hills and to no one. The threesome scavenges their meals from various members of the community and pays their dues by keeping the neighborhood safe. They were trolling the neighborhood one night when they stumbled upon a lost baby sea turtle. It’s the cockroach noises that attract the trio. The trio decides they must help the sea turtle, whom they name Shelly, find her way home. It becomes a nightly adventure, but in the process, they are able to sort out an eco-problem as well and eradicate a threat to the sea turtles’ nesting grounds.

Dawn Wynne’s early chapter novel, Midnight Mission: An Eco Avengers Mystery, presents three unlikely animal friends who are avid detectives. As the three main characters solve their mystery, they share a rapport of amusing dialogue which will definitely appeal to young readers as it ‘speaks their language’. The characters are well developed for this age of reading level and quirky in their own unique ways. The plot develops with excitement and humor as the threesome solves the mystery and helps the sea turtle find her way home. There is also an interesting addition to this story in the facts shared subtly within the story (and in more detail at the end) about sea turtles and how to protect them. A grand, fun adventure with lessons to learn.