I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
AJ Kormon’s
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Halloway Hills Middle School Mysteries
Tour Begins September 27th
Book Summary
Three short, page-turning mysteries for ages 9-11 featuring mischievous cats and their middle-grade owners.
In Hiding Out on Halloween, Avery Mcintosh borrows the Super Ultimate Minecraft Hacks book from the school library, much to the dismay of the school bully Becky. When Avery accidentally splashes Becky with an invisibility potion that he learned from the book, she not only disappears from Minecraft, but from the real world too.
Trying to ease his guilt about Becky’s disappearance, with the help of his friend Jordan and a black cat who appears to be stalking him, Avery sets out to find Becky.
In Creeping Up on Christmas, it’s time for the Halloway Hills Middle School Christmas fair and Violet Sidhu and her friends have planned to sell crocheted hats to raise money for charity. There’s just one problem—the hats are missing!
When Violet discovers what’s happened to her hats, thanks to the new guy at school, getting them back turns out to be harder than she thought.
In Veering Off on Valentine’s, Jordan Cartwright learns the meaning of true love . . . from her cat! After feeling rejected by her best friend Avery because of Valentine’s Day, Jordan wonders if she can still be friends with him.
As she tries to avoid Avery, Jordan witnesses some strange behaviour from her cat Blizzard. When Blizzard goes missing during a snowstorm, Jordan enlists Avery’s help to find him and learns an important lesson in the process.
Includes bonus cookie recipe and word search!
Purchase all three books for Kindle on Amazon.com and make sure to add these books to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, AJ Kormon
AJ Kormon started out writing books about money to help explain the concept to her kids. As her kids got older, they showed signs of not wanting to read, so she enlisted their help creating a series for resistant readers. This is how the Halloway Hills Middle School Mysteries were born. When AJ isn’t writing and cartooning, you’ll find her losing to her kids at Uno.
Find A.J. Kormon at:
Website: www.ajkormon.com
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/profile/a-j-kormon
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20379395.A_J_Kormon
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ajkormon
— Blog Tour Calendar
My Reviews
Hiding Out On Halloween isn’t a scary Halloween book. In this book, Avery and his friend Jordan are trying to survive middle school. The bullies, led by Becky, are after Avery quite often. She’s mad that he was the first student to check out the new Minecraft book from the school library. Many of the middle school students play Minecraft at home and their characters interact there.
Meanwhile, a cute little black cat seems to be following Avery everywhere. When he finally gets the cat to come around and eat food that he has provided, Avery wants to keep the cat. There are many events that worry the children. Becky disappears from school, but later they find out that her mom has died. Avery wants to be nice to her because his mom died, too.
Will Avery be able to keep the cat? Will Avery be able to help Becky and make friends with her? The story is good because Avery has a great dad who gives him wonderful support and love. I recommend this story for middle grade readers.
Veering Off On Valentine’s is a heart-warming book from Jordan’s perspective. With Valentine’s Day Jordan is having a common problem that middle grade student’s experience. She likes Avery and is making him a Valentine drawing, but she doesn’t think he likes her (other than a friend). When she finds out that he likes Nicole, she throws away her pretty drawing, but her friend Violet rescues it and slips it into Avery’s locker.
At home, Jordan’s cat has been acting very strange. Blizzard runs outside and comes home smelling awful. When a real blizzard hits, the cat escapes and they can’t find him anywhere. The next day Jordan, Avery, and Violet find him in an apple orchard with his new family. Jordan’s parents bring the momma cat and kittens to their warm home.
Jordan and Avery are pleased to be friends again. What will they do with the kittens and the momma? Middle grade students will love this book in the series. There are very good lessons and adults that are doing the right thing in these books.
Creeping Up On Christmas
Avery, Jordan, and Violet are involved in the Biz Builders group after school. Different groups in the seventh and eighth grades have created a business and will host a festival to sell what they’ve made. Violet has worked a long time crocheting many cute hats to sell. Violet lives with her grandmother who accidently lost her box of hats. The kids ask their sponsor, Mrs. Monk, if they can bake cookies instead. They get together on the weekend and bake lots of cookies for the sale. But on the day of the sale, a new neighbor calls out for Violet. What does Daniel want? Will the team do well with their sale?
The book shows that kids can work together, be patient, and not give up when things don’t go as planned. I recommend all three books in this review.
October 4th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of the Halloway Middle School series. Read our interview with author AJ Kormon, and enter to win the giveaway too. One winner will receive all three copies of the books and a gift card. Three winners will receive one book from the series. Join us today!
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 8th @ Madeline Sharples’ Blog
Join Madeline as she shares a guest post by AJ Kormon about things kids learn from entrepreneurial parents.
October 10th @ What is That Book About
Visit Michelle’s blog where she shares a guest post written by AJ Kormon that talks about the best books for kids who don’t like to read.
https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com
October 12th @ Lisa Haselton’s Book Reviews and Interviews
Visit Lisa’s blog where she interviews AJ Kormon, author of the Halloway Hills Middle School mystery series.
https://lisahaselton.com/blog/
October 14th @ Cover 2 Cover Blog
Join Stephanie as she shares her thoughts about the charming Halloway Hills Middle School mystery series.
http://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/
October 16th @ Reading in the Wildwood
Join Megan as she shares a guest post by author AJ Kormon featuring must-have Halloween books to read with your kids.
October 20th @ Lisa’s Reading
Join Lisa as she reviews the Halloway Hills series on her blog today.
October 22nd @ Quill and Books
Visit Kathryn’s blog where she reviews Hiding Out on Halloween by AJ Kormon.
October 22nd @ The Frugalista Mom
Join Rozelyn as she features a guest post by author AJ Kormon about navigating first crushes. She’s also giving away a copy of the Halloway Hills Middle School series as an e-book to one lucky reader.
October 25th @ World of My Imagination
Visit Nicole’s blog today as she reviews AJ Kormon’s Halloway Hills Middle School series books and gives away a copy of the books for one lucky reader.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
October 28th @ Knotty Needle
Judy delights us today with her and her granddaughter’s review of AJ Kormon’s Halloway Hills Middle School series books.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
October 31st @ Look to the Western Sky
Join Margo as she reads and reviews AJ Kormon’s delightful middle-grade book Hiding Out on Halloween part of the Halloway Hills Middle School series.
November 3rd @ Fiona Ingram’s Blog
Join Fiona as she shares AJ Kormon’s guest post about why your child should read to their pet.
http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
November 4th @ CK Sorens
Visit CK Sorens’ blog today and read her review of AJ Kormon’s Halloway Hills Middle School series books.
November 5th @ Quill and Books
Join Kathryn again as she publishes a guest post by AJ Kormon about fun Christmas books to read with your kids.
November 5th @ Bookworm for Kids
Join Tonjaas she reviews Creeping Up on Christmas over at her blog today. A perfect book for the holidays!
http://www.bookwormforkids.com/
November 7th @ Jill Sheets’ Blog
Visit Jill’s blog today where she shares AJ Kormon’s guest post about how to help your child deal with a bully.
http://jillsheets.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much for reviewing the Halloway Hills Middle School mysteries, Lisa! 🙂
It’s my pleasure!