Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're taking a step into the paranormal side of Middle Grade Fiction with the first book in a BRAND NEW series releasing THIS THURSDAY via Dreaming Robot Press! It stars a young man with special abilities that are either unknown by others (by choice!) or disbelieved and certainly veer on the side of STRANGE, but you know what...as annoying as they might be, there is a GOOD side to them as well. But I digress, let's get to the introductions...make room on your wish list for today's ebook of choice...
Phantom Files, Book 1
by
William B. Wolfe
9781940924298
Dreaming Robot Press
About the book...
Dead men tell no tales. Except to me. When I'm around, they can't shut up.
My name is Alex April, and I see ghosts. Worse, they see me. If my paranormal-obsessed best friend Bones knew, he’d be crazy happy. But only one thing happens when I acknowledge their presence. Trouble. I’ve gotten so good at hiding my ability, everyone believes it. Even the ghosts… most of the time.
Except now I’ve got the nightmare of all homework assignments: write a book report about Mark Twain. Trouble is, I have to go to the library to check out a book. Not just any library — the Hannibal, Missouri’s Free Library. It’s the most haunted building in
town. And it’s haunted by none other than Samuel Langhorne Clemens, himself.
Now this spook is haunting me. Following me everywhere I go, desperate to find the legendary Twain Treasure. What exactly is that treasure? Not even Sam can say.
Well, Bones has always wanted to go on a real-life ghost adventure. I just hope this one doesn’t land us both in ZIP code 63409-DEAD.
My name is Alex April, and I see ghosts. Worse, they see me. If my paranormal-obsessed best friend Bones knew, he’d be crazy happy. But only one thing happens when I acknowledge their presence. Trouble. I’ve gotten so good at hiding my ability, everyone believes it. Even the ghosts… most of the time.
Except now I’ve got the nightmare of all homework assignments: write a book report about Mark Twain. Trouble is, I have to go to the library to check out a book. Not just any library — the Hannibal, Missouri’s Free Library. It’s the most haunted building in
town. And it’s haunted by none other than Samuel Langhorne Clemens, himself.
Now this spook is haunting me. Following me everywhere I go, desperate to find the legendary Twain Treasure. What exactly is that treasure? Not even Sam can say.
Well, Bones has always wanted to go on a real-life ghost adventure. I just hope this one doesn’t land us both in ZIP code 63409-DEAD.
AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND
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From the moment I read the synopsis, I was sold! Whether you're a Twain-ologist or merely looking for a good ghostly story, this book is for you.
Alex April is a charming young man, endearingly enchanted by the purple haired librarian, and eager to have a new start as he and his mom aim to call Hannibal, Missouri home. It's hard for anyone to move around, especially as a child when you're trying to build friendships and make connections, but it's even more of a task if you know you're the reason behind the move...the reason behind your parents splitting...the reason behind all the bad things that seem to happen around you, even if you were actually up to GOOD. Sound strange? Not really...when you take into account the fact that he can see and talk to ghosts...and not all earth-tethered spirits are Casper-ly friendly, or simply looking for a friend. Most are there because they have the notorious "unfinished business" to take care of and in some cases, the years (or centuries!) passing by can cause a breakdown of their spirit...and boy oh boy when that spirit has some OOMPHF behind it...LOOK OUT! No really, look out because if you take one part INFAMOUS AUTHOR and add in a dash of AFTERLIFE PHENONMENA with a big heaping spoonful of UNFINISHED BUSINESS, you get the general makings of this story that you won't want to miss!
Apart from the historical aspects (intriguing!), and fanciful facts we learn about Mr. Samuel L. Clemens, there is even more that makes this charming book an absolute MUST READ! What other things? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's see there's the way the story is told, alternating between a recollection of his past experience with ghosts and the current timeline...there's how Alex manages to work around his talent, hiding it just enough to keep BOTH sides of the grave MOSTLY calm...there's Bones who is anything but boney and a true blue friend, even when things turn south...there's the danger, the heartfelt beyond the grave reach outs (which yes, had me in tears!), the dawning light of reality when a person's outlook has been changed...and like I said, SO MUCH MORE! It really was a delightful read with both a serious and fun side that balanced each other out nicely, so if you're in the market and a fan of Middle Grade, Paranormal, or even Edutainment, I'd highly suggest giving this one a GO!
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About author William B. Wolfe...
If it's unbelievable, I probably believe in it—and write about it. From ghosts to extraterrestrials, psychic cats, fairy folk, and black-eyed kids, nothing is too weird to star in my stories and books. “Too weird,” I believe, is just about the right amount of weird.
I was born at the weirdly fantastical confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River near the community of Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky (look it up: It's real!), where I read every science-fiction and fantasy book I could lay hands on. I exhausted several copper mines' worth of copper wire fashioning the alien antennas I saw on "My Favorite Martian." Eventually I become a journalist, where I learned that the truth is often weirder than fiction, but eventually found my real calling as an author of books for young readers.
I live in Louisville, Kentucky, with my weird family and our weirder cat, Mr. Bitey.
I was born at the weirdly fantastical confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River near the community of Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky (look it up: It's real!), where I read every science-fiction and fantasy book I could lay hands on. I exhausted several copper mines' worth of copper wire fashioning the alien antennas I saw on "My Favorite Martian." Eventually I become a journalist, where I learned that the truth is often weirder than fiction, but eventually found my real calling as an author of books for young readers.
I live in Louisville, Kentucky, with my weird family and our weirder cat, Mr. Bitey.
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Special thanks to Mena at Dreaming Robot Press for the eARC for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the series, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY this Thursday, July 26th, 2018 (as of this post), so mark your calendar or pre-order your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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