By Deb Hockenberry

Cover Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell was having the worst summer imaginable. His misery started when his mother died in a senseless car accident. Matt’s grieving father, unable to remain in the family’s seaside cottage, moved Matt and his twin sister as far as possible from the ocean they loved. But their relocation to the small town of Hawthorne, Indiana only made Matt’s life more difficult. Three bullies at his new high school dedicated themselves to making him miserable. To top it off, Matt heard that the recluse living in the dilapidated Victorian mansion next door was none other than Old Lady Hawthorne, the town’s infamous witch and murderer of wayward husbands. Then, Old Lady Hawthorne’s niece and her three children moved in next door, and something extraordinary happened. Matt met Gerallt, the strange boy destined to become his best friend. And when Matt learned the Hawthornes’ family secret, it changed his life forever. The Secrets of Hawthorne House is the story of an unlikely friendship, the clash of two radically different cultures, hidden magic, and a search for the lost Hawthorne treasure.

The Secrets of Hawthorne House: 1 By Author Donald Firesmith – Book Review

Hawthorne House is said to be inhabited by a witch! It’s also said that she killed her husband. When fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell goes over to see if ‘the witch’ needs any yardwork done, he finds a nice little old lady instead. Hey, a guy has to earn money somehow, right? Two things confuse Matt about ‘the witch’. She has a funny accent plus she never opens the door all the way. Then her relatives move in
and the strange only gets stranger. Matt and his sister, Tina, meet the three Hawthorne children waiting at the bus stop on their first day of school. The three Hawthorne children are dressed all in black, talk with that strange accent like Old Mrs. Hawthorne, and sometimes say strange things. They’re strange and definitely don’t act like everyone else Matt has met. Are they witches like old lady Hawthorne? Are there magical goings on in Hawthorne House? Is it true that there’s a treasure hidden somewhere in the old mansion?
This is a fun story for people of all ages to enjoy. ‘The Secrets of Hawthorne House’ is a well-paced and fun book to read. There are twists at every turn of the page. It brings out the respect we should have for people of other religions and cultures. It also shows what we can learn! The book also brings out that different people have talents everyone can benefit from. What are the secrets of Hawthorne House? Is old Mrs. Hawthorne a witch? Did she murder her husband like they say? Is there a treasure hidden somewhere? I give ‘The Secrets of Hawthorne House’ 5 stars. The author, Donald Firesmith,
has another fan in this reviewer!

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