ABBY & HOLLY SERIES, BOOK 4 – THE HIDDEN STAIRWAY

By Janice Spina

Illustrations & Cover by John Spina

BOOK BLURB

Join the cousins, Abby and Holly, as they search for clues about who placed an urn up in their attic with the remains of a young girl who lived a century ago. Their old Victorian holds many secrets and the girls are determined to solve this mystery with the help of two ghost friends, Felicity and Minerva, who inhabit their home.

As the girls are searching for clues in their basement, they discover a hidden stairway. Upon entering the stairway, they find themselves unexpectedly catapulted back in time to a century ago. Will they be able to return with the answers to the mystery? If not, who will help them get back? Or, will they be forever lost in time?

 

My Review

Abby and Holly are cousins who have special powers, they can see and speak to ghosts, and in this book, they find they can travel back in time with the reassurance that should anything go wrong, they will get help from their ghost friends, Felicity and Minerva.  This opens an exciting new adventure for the girls, though it is quite worrisome for their mothers.

Once again, Janice Spina has created a riveting adventure for the cousins.  I couldn’t put it down and I’m sure middle-grade readers will get wrapped up in the story as much as I did. As with all of Spina’s books, there will be no objectionable language and there is always a life lesson–to be respectful to others, to be kind and considerate, to recognize and accept that there are differences in all of us. To parents, grandparents, and teachers, I recommend this be read aloud by children so you can have a lively discussion about the story and the lessons in ABBY & HOLLY SERIES, BOOK 4 – THE HIDDEN STAIRWAY.  This is positively a 5-star book.

I received a copy of this book from the author for an unbiased review.
I received no compensation for my review.

 

About the Author

Janice Spina is an award-winning author with 12 children’s books, Louey the Lazy Elephant, Ricky the Rambunctious Raccoon, Jerry the Crabby Crayfish (won Pinnacle Book Achievement Award), Lamby the Lonely Lamb (won the Silver Medal from MOM’S Choice Awards), and Jesse the Precocious Polar Bear, Broose the Moose on the Loose (won a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award), and Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey, and Colby the Courageous Cat (Pinnacle Book Achievement Award), Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe (Pinnacle Book Achievement Award), Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab, Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier, Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series (Book 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5) is a middle-grade/preteen series and Abby & Holly Series Book1 1, 2, 3 (Books 1 & 2 won Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards). Book 1, The Case of the Missing Cell Phone (won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and an Honorable Mention from Readers’ Favorite Awards). Book 2, The Case of the Mysterious Black Cat, won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and Book 3, The Case of the Magical Ivory Elephant, also won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and Book 5 won a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and a Silver Medal from Authorsdb Cover Contest. Janice’s other books have also been Finalists in Red City Review Book Awards and Authorsdb First Lines Contest.

Her logo is JEMSBOOKS for all ages on which is her motto:
“Reading Gives You Wings To Fly! Soar with Jemsbooks!”

Janice’s and John’s joint goal is: To encourage children of all ages to read and to instill this love of reading in them to carry them throughout their lives and thus giving them ‘wings to fly!’

Author Bio is from Amazon and Goodreads.

Book Cover, Author Photo, and Book Blurb are from Goodreads.

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Books by the Banks 2014

October in Cincinnati means Books by the Banks, our book festival.  This year I met some new authors and visited with some I had met in the past.  It is always an exciting event with lots of authors and many, many books to buy.  Since ours is held in October, it is a great time to pick up some gifts for the holidays as well as books for yourself.

Smiley with BookMy husband came along again this year and took some pictures and helped carry my books.

My first stop was to visit my friend Catherine McKenzie (SPIN, SPUN, ARRANGED, HIDDEN) and Jon Harrison (THE BANKS OF CERTAIN RIVERS – review to come soon).

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I then met Marci Jefferson whose GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN is in my TBR and is begging me to read it.

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Of course, I also had to stop by and say hi to Mindy McGinnis.  Her first book, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, came out last year just before Books by the Banks.  Her second, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST, came out just in time for “The Banks”.

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A trip to “The Banks” wouldn’t be complete without picking up a few children’s books.

BABY PENGUINS EVERYWHERE! by Melissa Guion

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THE FORGOTTEN PUMPKIN by Hugh G. Earnhart (review to come later this week).

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Of course, there were other books in my bag but, unfortunately, those authors were not available during the time I was there.

It was a fabulous event and I can’t wait until it comes back next October.

Note:  Reviews for all books will be posted as I read them.

HIDDEN by Catherine McKenzie

hidden-204x300Catherine McKenzie weaves a tale of secrets kept in her latest book HIDDEN. Jeff Manning is hit by a car while walking home from work and leaves two women devastated. One, his wife Claire, is left to struggle with this unimaginable loss while at the same time helping their son Seth find his way through his own suffering. The other, Jeff’s co-worker Julie, is faced with hiding her grief and at the same time burying her secret before anyone discovers it.

Written in the voices of main characters Jeff, Claire, and Tish, this book is brimming with emotion and excitement. Even though Jeff dies at the beginning of the book, his explanations interposed in this way, bring clarity to the story. HIDDEN is about the complexity of relationships – good, bad, and everything in between.

I am an ardent fan of Catherine McKenzie, and have read all of her fabulous books. HIDDEN is a masterpiece! It is carefully crafted with a story line and characters that left me mesmerized. HIDDEN is a book you will carry with you everywhere you go until you read the last words. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a truly absorbing read. I give it five stars.

To find out more about Catherine McKenzie visit:

Website      Twitter       Facebook       Goodreads

To buy her books:

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

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