#Bookreview Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen by J.L. McCreedy #amreading

Book Review Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen by J.L. McCreedy

I don't normally read middle-grade novels, but I'm glad I read this one. Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen by J.L. McCreedy is a well plotted, fun, adventurous read. The novel follows a classic fairy tale structure, but is written in a modern style so modern readers will enjoy reading it. The story is full of well developed, colorful characters and moves at a fast pace that will keep you entertained. Young Children will love to read, or have their parents read this story to them. A big plus is this story isn't dumbed down for kids. Adults will enjoy it as much as young readers.

The story starts when a strange envelope is delivered to Libby's home. Libby's mom reads what's in the envelope and decides she must return to Germany, her home land, and see her parents whom she hasn't seen since before Libby was born. Libby is unaware she had grandparents and is upset that her parents keep so many secrets. Once Libby and her parents reach Germany, the adventure begins.

This story is well written and well edited. The kindle formatting is perfect and it is obvious a lot of love was put into setting this eBook up professionally. Some small issues I might not have done, and this is being picky, is the misspelling of words to simulate a German accent. When I first encountered it, I thought it was missed typos. Later, Libby explains that sometimes her mom pronounces w's as v's. I'd rather have seen the words spelled correctly and the structure of the sentence rearranged to simulate a German accent. The biggest reason why is because when you use text to speech on a kindle, the kindle doesn't know how to handle the misspellings and it makes it hard to understand those sections. Not a huge problem, but something to consider.

A parent warning, there is one adult word in the novel, p**s, which I was surprised to come across. Not a big deal to me, but some parents who monitor what their children read may want to be aware of it.

There is some passive writing in the story as well. Not a lot that it is distracting from the story, but enough to possibly cause an editor to reject it. The words: very, just, seemed, there was, even, etc. were used frequently enough for someone who is a writer to notice. These are considered passive words that should be avoided if possible. A child or a non-writing adult wouldn't notice at all. Just pointing it out as something to be aware of for the next JL McCreedy novel, and I do hope there are many more. Mrs. McCreedy is an exceptional writer and I can't wait to read what she comes out with next.

I highly recommend reading Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen. The novel is a breath of fresh air to read after so many paranormal vampire stories that are all alike after reading several. This book would be a great one to sit down with your child and read together. It is as fun and adventurous as other stories like James and the Giant Peach or The Indian in the Cupboard. Definitely check this book out.