Summer of MoonlightSecrets: By Danette Haworth, 2010, Walker and Company, 273 pages.
Allie Joe and her family manage the Meriwether Hotel in Florida. It was once a grand place frequented by movie stars, but it has seen better days. Some of the upper floors are closed. There are places where the windows are broken out and stray cats and kudzu slip in. But for Allie it is the perfect place, full of secret passages and hidden nooks and crannies. Allie Jo is intelligent and imaginative, but she doesn’t have a lot of friends. This summer will change that.
Chase arrives with his father, a writer, to stay at the
hotel for a while during the summer. He breaks his arm in a skateboarding
accident the first time he meets Allie Jo, but the two strike up a friendship.
Soon, they meet a mysterious young woman named Tara, who says that she is a
runaway and has nowhere else to go than the hotel. She reveals that she’s
hiding from someone who wants to control her. Allie Jo and Chase are caught up
in solving the mystery of Tara, and in helping her defeat the plans of the man
she’s hiding from so she can return home.
The Summer of Moonlight Secrets seems perfect for anyone who
enjoys young adult stories. Its target audience is kids but it certainly held
the attention of this 58-year-old, and took me back to my childhood when
summers were magical and lasted forever.
The book is fast paced. It’s told in short, alternating chapters
from Allie Jo and Chase’s points of view, with an occasional chapter seen from
Tara’s perspective. I thought it was a lot of fun. I’ve already read a previous
book by Danette Haworth, Violet Raines almost got struck by Lightning, and I
enjoyed it very much as well. I’ll be picking up others by this author so I can
take an occasional trip back to my younger self.
23 comments:
Thank you Charles
Sound similar to the Dakota, Charles, but about young people.
Cloudia, thanks for visiting, as always
Oscar Case, there are a couple of nice twists
That sounds like an easy read to carry me into spring *grin* thank you and happy Sunday
Not into young adult books but a good story is a good story.
Shadow, I read 2 or 3 YA books a year. Love recapturing the fun of my childhood reading.
Alex, I've almost always read a few each year. I enjoy them
Charles, I enjoy reading YA fiction and particularly such stories which take me on a memory trip.
Prashant, we are sympatico!
I would have loved this book as a kid. Hope kids find it.
Patti, No idea what the sales are like but it's a great package
Sounds like a good book!
Sage, I certainly enjoyed
Echoing friend Sage ... Sounds like a good book ... Be well, friend Charles ... U havin a good summer so far? We have only 2 seasons here ... either brutally hot summer 4 100 frost free days or brutally cold winter for many months ... Anyway not sure where U live, friend Charles, but hope U are safe ... Love, cat.
Wonderful indeed, and nicely done. Thanks for sharing!
I hear what you mean. These days, it seems that the only thing that lasts forever is the work week.
Cat, I'm doing well. Thanks for asking. WE have summer and a kind of fall/autumn here. It never gets really cold.
Blogoratti, I love good books
X. Dell, true dat
Lovely read ,i found it very appealing
Nice review Charles--most of my reading these days is editing works of others--nothing of any real great note, not that I could speak to them.
Be careful what you wish for when it comes to seasonal changes my friend you may just wind up in an Abbita(?) blizzard.
Baili, yes it was!
Mark, we have had traces of snow twice since I've been here. It's not a common thing
I do enjoy a good YA read. Nice refreshing break from time to time.
Great review. Thanks.
Greetings from London.
David, I find it so
Cuban, thanks for dropping by!
Nice refreshing break from time to time.
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