The Summer of Moonlight Secrets

by Danette Haworth

Book Overview

At The Meriwether, Florida's famous antebellum hotel, nothing is quite as it seems and since she's lived there all her life, nothing surprises Allie Jo Jackson until she spots the enigmatic, beautiful... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080279520X
• ISBN13: 9780802795205
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Another great, captivating story!

The Summer of Moonlight Secrets is another great middle school and preteen book. With any great book or movie, I believe the reader or viewer must identify or care about the character(s) in order to even be interested in what adventure the protagonist will soon find herself/himself embarking on. Allie Jo is an absolute delight and I found myself readily pulled into her world, the atmosphere of the hotel and the mystery that soon presents itself. I loved it!!!

The Summer of Moonlight Secrets by Danette Haworth

I won't go into repeating the plot of the book. I will say that I absolutely loved it! It is about a summer filled with intrigue, magic, mystery, mean girls, and a budding romance. An absolutely wonderful book!

A magical summer read

Allie Jo fears that summer with her best friend away is going to be miserable--but she didn't expect that helping her parents work at the Meriwether Hotel in Hope Springs, Florida, would bring her a few new friends: a sweet girl named Sophie, a skateboard-loving boy named Chase, and a beautiful girl named Tara with a mysterious penchant for moonlit swims...and maybe that's not the only mystery surrounding her... There's something about a big, old house, a bunch of kids, and a mystery that made the perfect ingredients for a kids' book. There's a long history of books that fit into this sub-genre: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Children of the Green Knowe; now, The Summer of Moonlight Secrets. Danette Haworth created a cast of lovable, believable characters, and put them in an absolutely incredible setting. The Meriwether is bursting with secret passages, hidden rooms--it's the perfect place to hide a secret, so it isn't too surprising that secrets abound. These secrets, and the characters themselves, move the plot forward to an exciting, touching climax. My critique of the book would be that certain plot elements (Chase's mom and Chase's relationship with Sophie, in particular) are very built up in the beginning, to be left rather vague by the end. They serve well as plot-propellers, but didn't tie up into a perfectly satisfying ending. Also, in terms of pacing, once the danger arrives at the book's climax, everything is resolved a little too quickly for my taste. I felt that if the danger had presented itself sooner or lasted longer, the tension and pacing would have been perfect. Altogether, The Summer of Moonlight Secrets is an enchanting story for middle grade readers, and, who knows? It might be at the start of a new fantasy trend--you'll have to read to find out what.

A Magical Summer Read

Unlikely friendships, secrets and intrigue converge one hot, lazy summer at The Meriwether, a famous antebellum hotel smack in the middle of Florida. Allie Jo lives at the Meriwether because her parents manage the hotel. Chase is a guest while his father uses the hotel as a home-base for a series of travel articles about the Sunshine State. And Tara, a mysterious stranger, simply emerges from the water of Hope Springs one moonlit night. As the summer wears on and these three very different characters bond in friendship, Tara's secret is revealed. It's then that Allie Jo and Chase must figure out how to help Tara with a problem/situation that seems insurmountable. The Summer of Moonlight Secrets is told in three unique voices. Author Danette Haworth has a knack for creating a strong sense of place with a setting that seems almost magical while still feeling within the reader's grasp. This middle grade novel is fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. -- Reviewed by Michelle Delisle