The Secrets of Hawthorne House

by Donald Firesmith

Overview

Fifteen-year-old Matt Mitchell was having the worst summer imaginable. His misery started when his mother died in a senseless car accident. Unable to remain in the family's memory-filled seaside cottage, Matt's grieving father 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.

When Old Lady Hawthorne's niece and her three children moved in next door, something extraordinary happened. Matt met Gerallt, the strange boy destined to become his best friend. And when Gerallt divulged the Hawthorne's family secret, it changed Matt's life forever.

The Secrets of Hawthorne House is the story of an unlikely friendship, the clash of two radically different cultures, secret magic, and a search for the lost Hawthorne treasure.

2019 Readers' Favorite silver medal winner in the young adult paranormal urban genre.

2019 ReadFree.ly's 100 Best Indie Books – third place

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781078793797
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	04/06/2020
Pages:	414
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

A computer geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books, written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers, and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He is also proud to have been named a Distinguished Engineer by the Association of Computing Machinery, although his pride is tempered somewhat worrying whether the term "distinguished" makes him sound more like a graybeard academic rather than an active engineer whose beard is still more red than gray.

By night and on weekends, his alter ego writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, and horror novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from various magical woods and mystical gemstones. His first foray into fiction is the book Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore written under the pen name Wolfrick Ignatius Feuerschmied. He lives in Crafton, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs and cats.

Editorial Reviews

This is my first book by Donald Firesmith but it definitely won't be my last. The Secrets of Hawthorne House is not just one adventure but many and I didn't want the book to end. The characters are defined and complex and it draws you in so subtly that I found myself talking to the characters! I would love to see these characters again.

Amazon US - Lisa Caudill

A great book for readers of all ages. Middle school and high school students will enjoy the humiliation of the school bullies. Adults will connect with the families trying to cope after death strikes. Two families from opposite sides of the country join to fight what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. Donald Firesmith created a story that has humor, sadness, love and realistic characters. All this combines for a spectacular reading experience.

Amazon US - Ann Keeran

Engaging readers from the start, Firesmith doesn't rush the story development, making the narrative flow deftly. It was easy for me to immerse myself in this coming-of-age urban fantasy combined with Celtic mythology. I was invested in the characters, their successes, and predicaments. The plot is well thought out. As an adult, I found The Secrets of Hawthorne House truly enjoyable even though it's for teen readers. A commendable work from Donald Firesmith, and I look forward to the sequel.

Barnes & Noble - Lit Amri

I love the story and the characters... This is a great, clean and entertaining story for middle grade and young adult kids who like mystery, treasure hunts, and magic. It is nicely done by Donald Firesmith. I would keep my eyes out for the next book in this series.

Amazon US - Anna del C. Dye

This was a really fun book. It's got a lot of heart. The characters are all really well-written. The book has an exciting plot, full of adventure and thrills. It was interesting to see how everything played out, and the pacing was good. It didn't lag, nor was it too quickly paced. The Secrets of Hawthorne House was a great book, and I'd recommend it to fans of mysteries, YA readers, and people who enjoy stories with paranormal elements. It's well worth the read. Definitely check it out!

Amazon US - Jasmine Bryner