Lone Star Book Blog Tour: The Secret Room by John Alexander
THE SECRET ROOM
(Amber-Autumn Series, #4)
by
JOHN ALEXANDER
Genre: Children’s Mystery / Chapter Book
Date of Publication: October 14, 2017
Number of Pages: 159
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Amber and Autumn, elementary school sisters, don’t seek out problems to solve, but they often find themselves engaged in uncovering truths, solving mysteries, and helping others in the process. Autumn’s natural curiosity, combined with her boldness, leads her to push for answers to anything she does not understand. Amber, her older sister, more cautious and easily spooked, prefers to let Autumn drive ahead to solve mysteries which come their way, but her keen skills of observation often lead to the resolutions they seek.
In The Secret Room, the girls, during their stay at a B&B, discover a long-forgotten room in the attic and uncover its secrets. The story takes place at the House of Seasons, a bed-and-breakfast in historic Jefferson, Texas. Their quest to uncover secrets takes the girls on a journey through Jefferson history including a cemetery, a river boat tour, and even an evening ghost walk.
PRAISE FOR THE SECRET ROOM:
“Great book, really enjoyed reading. I’d guess a target audience would be 7 to 13-year-olds. Thank you for allowing me the honor to preview your book. I look forward to purchasing your published work.” — Joseph (Teen Beta reader)
The Secret Room is a fun read. Not only is it a mystery; it also contains some of the history of Jefferson, Texas, and the surrounding area, as well as pictures of some special places there. Children and adults will enjoy reading it, just as I did. — Carol (Adult Beta Reader)
“Overall I thought it was a great book. I would be excited to read the next book in the series.” –Madeline (4th grade Beta Reader)
“The whole time I liked the suspense and the mystery side of it.” – Beta Reader
“I relate more to Amber because she doesn’t like a situation without light and she doesn’t like doing scary things first. She sends her little sister in to do it first and I do that. Amber is the older sister and so am I.” – Beta Reader
The Secret Room is author John Alexander’s fourth offering in his series of sibling mysteries. Autumn is the fifth-grader narrator of the story and shares her adventures with her very observant sixth-grade sister, Amber. They are smart, polite and inquisitive girls – and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this – Alexander manages to write wholesome characters that appeal to young readers.
Curiosity and clever minds combine to lead the girls to one mysterious discovery, which leads to another, and yet another in the old B&B they are visiting in the historic town of Jefferson, Texas. The book is illustrated with photos from Jefferson and do well to draw you further into the story. I confess, I usually prefer illustrations (and his previous books have been re-released in beautifully illustrated editions), but the photos serve well to establish a sense of the location (and make me want to take a drive to Jefferson, do some exploring and pay a visit to Kitt’s Kornbread and Pie Bar there.)
Overall, this is a sweet book for budding fans of mysteries, a more modern, uncomplicated version of the Trixie Belden mysteries I devoured as a child. It was a fun and interesting read, and exchanges between the sisters felt natural and authentic. My only (and very minor) lament is with the font type (I’m not a fan). Other than that, this is a delightful book that would make a lovely addition to a young reader’s library.
While part of a series, The Secret Room works very well as a stand alone novel. Marketed to middle grade readers, these will appeal to older elementary-aged readers as well.
We look forward to the next adventure of Amber and Autumn. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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CLICK TO PURCHASE
John writes chapter books that appeal to elementary school children to capture their imagination and help them discover the love of reading early in life. John lives in Frisco, Texas with his beautiful wife and his King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Charlie Brown.
John spent his childhood in a small town in east Texas. He attended college at the University of Texas earning a BS in Physics and a BA in Math (minor in Computer Science). His years in the high-tech industry, most of it on the “bleeding edge,” allowed him to develop new technology with software.
John had the privilege of co-authoring two editions of CallManager Fundamentals. The two books sold over 23,000 copies, exceeding the publisher’s goal of 8,000. Having discovered his love for writing while still working in high tech, he began writing fiction in his spare time and published The Enclave, a mystery / suspense novel, in 2010.
After leaving high-tech in 2014, he now spends full-time pursuing his writing passion. He loves writing books that help children discover early in life that reading is a fun adventure. He recently released illustrated editions of the first three books in the Amber-Autumn mystery series: Christmas Garden Illustrated, Grandfather’s Blessing Illustrated, and Golden Campout Illustrated. The Secret Room is the fourth book in the series.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
GRAND PRIZE: Signed copies of all four Amber-Autumn series books + $10 Starbucks Gift Card
TWO RUNNERS-UP: Signed copy of The Secret Room
TWO RUNNERS-UP: Signed copy of The Secret Room
November 27-December 6, 2017
(U.S. Only)
CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
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11/27/17
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Book Trailer
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11/27/17
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Excerpt
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11/28/17
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Review
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11/29/17
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Author Interview
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11/29/17
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Guest Post
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11/30/17
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Review
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12/1/17
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Notable Quotable
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12/1/17
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Notable Quotable
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12/2/17
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Review
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12/3/17
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Review
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12/4/17
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Sneak Peek
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12/4/17
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Excerpt
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12/5/17
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Review
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12/5/17
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Author Interview
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12/6/17
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Review
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