Book Review: The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

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The Meadowbrook Murders  by Jessica Goodman  is a young adult novel published on February 4, 2025. The story opens with the character Amy discovering the bodies of her classmates, Sarah and Ryan, who are undoubtedly deceased. Told from alternating perspectives of Amy and Liz, both students are trying to find out who and why someone would want to murder two students at a prestigious boarding school. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for free in exchange for my honest review. When the story first began, I thought it was taking place at a college or university before I realized it took place at a boarding school. Other than that slight confusion, this suspenseful mystery captured my attention from the very beginning and had me on the edge of my seat. Both of the main characters were vastly different from one another but were likable in their own way. Unfortunately, other than Amy and Liz, the only o...

Book Review: The Old Willis Place, A Graphic Novel by Scott Peterson & Mary Downing Hahn

The Old Willis Place, A Ghost Story Graphic Novel is written by Mary Downing Hahn and adapted by Scott Peterson, Meredith Laxton, and Sienna Haralson.  The story opens with siblings Diana and Georgie spying on the new caretaker and his daughter Lissa moving onto the property. Diana desperately wants to be friends with Lissa, but making friends might unleash evil spirits.

I was absolutely excited to be approved and receive an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.  I first started reading books by Mary Downing Hahn in middle school and checked out every book by her that my school library had. The Old Willis Place was not available at my school, and my local bookstore didn't have it in stock.  So, this is the first time I've ever read this book.

Right away, I knew that Diana and Georgie were ghosts. However, I'm not sure if I would have figured that out as a kid. I had a general idea of what would happen throughout the story, but I was surprised by the ending. It was great but bittersweet. 

For a book that's geared towards children between the ages of eight and twelve, the characters are more developed than others written for this age range. It also was well written with just the right amount of spookiness.

All I can say is that Mary Downing Hahn writes some of the best middle grade stories, and The Old Willis Place met and exceeded my expectations. Five out of five stars!

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