Fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell was having the worst summer imaginable. Matt’s misery started when a drunk driver killed his mother. Then Matt’s father moved him and his sister to a small town in rural Indiana, as far as his grieving father could get from the ocean that his mother had loved. At the new high school, three bullies were determined to make Matt miserable. And to top it off, Matt … learned that the recluse who lived in the dilapidated Victorian mansion next door was none other than Old Lady Hawthorne, the town’s infamous witch and murderer. Matt’s terrible summer was turning into an awful autumn when something quite unexpected happened. Old Lady Hawthorne’s niece and her three children moved in next door, and Matt met Gerallt.
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Wildly imaginative! Wonderful characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Simply a GREAT read!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Although written for middle school age and high school, I found this a fun book to read as an adult. I was never bored. I also feel advanced elementary readers would enjoy it too. The main characters are between fifteen and seventeen years old, along with parents and an elderly aunt.
There is some discussion about bullies and being respectful to the beliefs of others.
The initial, major, section of the book is about the NEW kids at high school, who have trouble fitting in. When the bullies make it look as if Matt and Gerallt are the trouble makers, and teachers and parents believe the lies, the boys must prove they were set up. This also helps seal their best friendship. Difficult times allow for the two families to form even more of a bond, which is when further adventures happen. I don’t want to give too much away. Gerallt has some magical abilities that he is not allowed to talk about. Let’s just say that the boys give in to some temptations and must deal with consequences.
This is an easy read with a good flow. Perfect for a summer or vacation read.
For Matt Mitchell, life had thrown him lemons and turned those lemons even more sour. He had lost his mother in a horrific accident and then his dad decided to uproot the family from his home in Oregon to Hawthorn, Indiana…a “nowheresville” sleepy town. Here was Matt, with no friends, just getting ready to start his first day in High School. As seems to be the norm in schools everywhere, Matt was excluded and tormented for no greater reason than being the new kid. The stories about the “crazy” next door neighbor and the killings in her house are almost more than Matt can handle. That is until he starts to help the neighbor with yardwork. When the neighbor’s niece and kids move in, Matt meets others who are outsiders and he finally makes some friends. Only thing is, the kids are definitely different.
I received an ARC of this ebook. It was such a great story that I wanted to review it, And I hope that the author continues the saga.
The Secrets of Hawthorne House by Donald Firesmith
Matt and his family were adjusting to several new things about their lives. They lost their Mother to an auto accident. They then moved to their Father’s hometown. On top of that, they lived next door to what looked like an abandoned house. It doesn’t take long for Matt to meet the people next door. The family who lived in that creepy old house were different as well. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Once again Mr. Firesmith shows the reader a well written story and characters that are well defined. It’s easy to get pulled into this book. The story leads you on a journey through Hawthorne, Indiana. I love the slow build of this book. Just when you think, “Nothing can top that”, Mr. Firesmith seems to find another avenue for the reader to check out.
I found no issues with this one.
I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because this is pure pleasure for the reader. copy of book provided by author and I voluntarily reviewed it.
I really enjoyed this book, geared at teens I can see my oldest son enjoying this book. Also it was a perfect read for upcoming Halloween. Matt has just moved to Hawthorne after the death of his mother forced the family (his twin sister and father) to have to move. Matt and his twin Tina start at a the local high school and whilst Tina settles in ok Matt becomes a target for bullies. The have moved next door to infamous Hawthorne House yet Matt he doesn’t believe the stories so starts working on the house doing odd job for the owner – who it turns out the town believe to be a murder and a witch. Matt finds her odd but soon her family move in with her and Matt makes an unlikely friend in Garellt her nephew. Garellt has lost his father so the two bond over losing a parent. The Hawthorne family do have some paranormal traits, I liked the idea of the amulets and incantations, and the whole witchy other-worldly feel they had.
Over all this was a good read and there seems to be a mash genres in this book but Firesmith somehow makes them work together making this an interesting read for any teen who may be interested in the paranormal aspects.
This delightful middle-grade novel is about two 15 year old boys each with different backgrounds, but a shared grief. Matt recently lost his mother, Garellt lost his father, and both ended up moving next door to each other in Hawthorne, Indiana. The twist is Garellt moved into the infamous Hawthorne House with his Great Aunt and everyone is town is convinced the place is haunted or that a witch lives there. Of course, it doesn’t help when Gerallt’s family (mother, older sister, and younger brother) dress in black all the time. Nevertheless, the two boys become great friends and learn to deal with bullies and teenage life together.
A few quibbles… the slice-of-life scenes tended to run long and slowed the pace of the book considerably. Also, the dialogue of the Hawthorne’s did become a tad tedious at times and I’m not sure it was necessary. Using different syntax or vocabulary might have worked though I do understand what the author was trying to do.
What this book does well is teach tolerance. The boys come from very different backgrounds and both learn how to be open-minded enough to understand nothing is absolute. It also touches on recovering from grief and how it affects people in different ways. I’d recommend this book for readers younger than 13 and perhaps something that parents and kids read together.
I Thoroughly enjoyed this book reading late In to the night and finishing it on the second day. It’s the story of kindness, friendship and starting over. I loved all the characters but Matt Vivianne and Gerald were my favorites. I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review and that’s what I have provided
This was a fun easy read for me. I loved the way the author described scenes and the details in the opening dream sequence drew me in instantly. This is definitely a teen/YA read with just enough romance to entice the older group and magic to keep the younger group enthralled. I really enjoyed it and hope that there is another book, even though this one isn’t a cliffhanger.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Secrets of Hawthorne House is a good book. At first, I struggled with the fact that there was no one overarching dilemma or antagonist, that the problems were fairly small and quickly resolved. As I continued to read, though, I began to appreciate the “slice of life + magic” feel of the story. There are five well fleshed out characters, and the rest are background players. The only females that get any real play are both adults, and it would have been nice to learn more about the two teen girls, as they both have a lot of potential to add to the story. Overall, a good book, and I look forward to reading more in this series.
5 Cranky Stars
Firstly I am a big Harry Potter fan so this book was an excellent book for me.
That is where the similarities stop!!!
After Sam’s wife died in an accident he uprooted himself and his children Matt and Tina to back to his home town. Their new home was next door to Hawthorne house, which was very run down. The rumours were that it was haunted and the old lady was a witch. Sam did not believe this and encouraged his young son to go there and offer his services to clean the yard for her.
Old Mrs Hawthorne’s niece and three children moved in with her when the niece Gwendolyn lost her husband in an accident.
Matt soon makes friends with Gerallt and after being bullied at school, strange things kept happening. This is when the fun began.
There is a lot packed into this well written excellent book, there is so much more to this book and of course a happy ending.
This is a good story. Not a great one but definitely a good one for someone who enjoys the supernatural. I do, however, think it’s a YA book. As the main characters are kids and the plot revolves around them, I could see this thrilling the 10–14-year-olds. The storyline moves at a decent pace, but some of the situations are a little contrived and convenient Overall, I would recommend this book.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Secrets of Hawthorne House
Author: Donald Firesmith
Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 6/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 15 readers:
9 would read another book by this author.
12 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
9 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
7 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
9 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Although this is for YA, it felt more like a book for 9 – 12 year olds. I did enjoy it. I liked the mystery of the manor and I thought the characters were fun and interesting. It’s a bit slow in the middle but the ending is excellent.’ Female reader, aged 15
‘I thought it was going to be a spooky horror when I saw the cover, but it’s not. It’s sort of an adventure/mystery – with a little magic thrown in. The author is a good writer and keeps the mystery going until the end. The bully element is sort of overdone, it’s hard to find a teenager book without a bully or two in it! But I guess it was handled well. I think this writer will write even better books in the future.’ Female reader, aged 15
‘I liked the book but it was almost impossible to work out what the characters were saying. I know the author was trying to show dialect, but he went too far. There were also big parts that were agonizingly slow. Not for me.’ Male reader, aged 15
‘I would happily read a sequel to this. But I think I spotted a few errors in it so it might need better editing.’ Girl, aged 13
To Sum It Up:
‘A fun, exciting mystery for younger teens.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
This was not the book I expected; it was better! The Secrets of Hawthorne House promised to be the story of a boy whose family moved from Oregon to Indiana after the death of his mother. Matt Mitchell now lives next door to a creepy old house, where his next-door neighbor is the town witch. And if that’s not bad enough, the school bullies decide to make him their latest target. In a nutshell, life sucks. And money is tight, so when Matt asks his dad for an allowance to buy video games, Mr. Mitchell suggests that Matt get a job, maybe mowing lawns. Ask the neighbor if you can work for her. Matt asks the neighbor and finds that Mrs. Hawthorne, while a bit eccentric and a complete recluse, is actually a very kind lady.
The story I just recounted is a great story. It’s fairly predictable but comforting. We know how the story is going to go. But that’s just the first two chapters, and then the story doesn’t go where we knew it was going to. The book takes us through countless surprises as Mrs. Hawthorne’s extended family moves in and her great-nephew, Gerallt, becomes Matt’s best friend. The entire Hawthorne family dresses in old-fashioned, black clothing. And they can do magic.
There’s a whole religious system that goes along with the magic. I find the system a bit unbelievable, but it is interesting and well thought through. I hope that Matt’s alternate explanation at the end of the book turns out to be true. Matt, being a skeptic, doesn’t believe in magic, but there comes a point that it becomes impossible to deny what he has seen.
I loved how the first half of the book dealt with bullying. I loved that magic offered a way to defend themselves and others from bullies, but I loved, even more, when Matt and others stood up to the bullies, without expecting any sort of rescue. The three school bullies were a bit stereotypical (two of the three were dumb and they weren’t very careful about who overheard their plans), as were their targets (new kid, overweight girl, siblings who dressed differently). The way the story dealt with these stories felt true to life, and not always the easy answers, which I appreciated. There was one incident with Matt’s sister being treated badly, which I wished the book explored more, but the focus stayed primarily on Matt and Gerallt.
The two boys got into quite a few scrapes and escapes, chased down a thief, searched for a treasure, and broke a ton of rules together in the process. They were fun. I was at the edge of my seat many times, just waiting for them to get caught or hurt, but they always seemed to make it out alright in the end. I liked all of the siblings in both families.
The love story felt too contrived and too convenient; at one point the couple shared true love’s kiss and I threw up a little on the inside. I won’t spoil it by saying any more, but I think most readers will see what I mean. Additionally, there was a bit too much explaining what the characters were thinking or what their motivation was. I don’t like being stuck in the character’s heads (my biggest problem with Hunger Games), and it felt unnecessary. Of course, people felt guilty when they lied, since they don’t normally lie. You don’t need to tell us that. But over-explaining wasn’t constant; it just appeared from time to time. I would be interested in hearing the next part of the story if the author wrote a second book, and there were quite a few unanswered questions, however, the ending doesn’t leave us with a cliffhanger.
I received a free ARC of this book from BookSirens and have reviewed it willingly.
This book started very well for me but it ended up slowly going downhill all the way to the end.
I liked a lot the Hawthorne family and the whole atmosphere in their house. The magic was pretty simple and it worked just fine for the story. What bothered me was when the plot moved on, everything that happened before most of the times was ignored for the rest of the book like it never happened. For example, school is a very big part of the kids’ life at the beginning of the book. But when they solve the issues that they had there, not only that situation is never mentioned again but the school itself is never mentioned again.
There was a lot of telling but not showing especially with the emotions of the characters. If a character had a rough time emotionally, we would never have known if the book didn’t keep mentioning it several times, while the character appeared just fine. Lastly, the author really REALLY wanted this book to have a happy ending. Things happened very conveniently and everything worked out perfectly for everyone, making overall a very cheesy ending, even for a middle grade.
In the end, I was left disappointed because the begging was very promising but the book just fell flat. Still like the Hawthorne family though!
I received this book for free via BookSirens
I so badly wanted to love this book, but I can only like it.
It starts out with Matt, his father Sam and his sister Tina moving to his father’s old hometown of Hawthorne, Indiana due to financial issues and the passing of Matt’s mother. It was time for a change and his father was having a hard time coping with the passing of his wife and being near things she loved reminding him of his loss everyday (aside from his children).
Matt quickly learns on his first day of school why the town and house next to his is called Hawthorne (very convenient I must say, but a nice outlook for the class) and also who the school bullies are.
Matt, with encouragement from his father, slowly befriends the recluse, Vivianne, who lives next door at Hawthorne house and earns her trust by showing her that he does not mind what others have to say about her, that he just wants to help. Soon Vivianne’s niece Gwendolyn and her children come to stay as Gwendolyn has lost her husband. A nice parallel and future set up option for Sam, Matt’s father.
Matt quickly becomes best friends with Gareth, rallying against the bullies and having fun. Like all books, there is a time when the best friends are separated due to the bullies retaliation.
This is just a brief synopsis of the story-line, and you will truly enjoy the characters and cheer them on, but it is just a very lengthy story. One that could easily be broken into more than one book and become a series. Once I hit the climax and things begin to fall in place I felt like I had reached the ending. Until I realized I was only halfway through the book!!! From then, it felt like the story drug on and was just trying to make everyone happy and fill in some blanks.
I recommend reading this yourself and seeing if you have the same view point-or a different one. But it has great character building!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Matt and Tina Mitchell are twins who just lost their mother in an accident. Their father takes them far away from the seaside they love to the small town of Hawthorn. There they find themselves next door to the famous haunted house of the ghost of the gray lady. Matt needs some money and starts to clean the yard of the haunted house for Mrs. Hawthorn, getting to know her and her timid ways.
One day, her niece comes to live with her along with her three children. Matt becomes Geralt Hawthorne’s best friend and soon discovers that his family is not the common family he is adjusted to. Their secrets, their corky ways, no electricity, no games or computers make for an interesting friendship. Not only that, but the bullies at school are after them…they will have to pull together or be defeated.
This is a great, clean and entertaining story for middle grade and young adult kids who like mystery, treasure hunts and magic. It is nicely done by Donald Firesmith. I would keep my eyes out for the next book in this series.