Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I have been unable to get into it.

This sounded like a fun read, and I wasn't disappointed! A fun ghost story for kids surrounding Mark Twain's life.

From the moment I read the synopsis, I was sold! Whether you're a Twain-ologist or merely looking for a good ghostly story, this book is for you.




Alex April is a charming young man, endearingly enchanted by the purple haired librarian, and eager to have a new start as he and his mom aim to call Hannibal, Missouri home. It's hard for anyone to move around, especially as a child when you're trying to build friendships and make connections, but it's even more of a task if you know you're the reason behind the move...the reason behind your parents splitting...the reason behind all the bad things that seem to happen around you, even if you were actually up to GOOD. Sound strange? Not really...when you take into account the fact that he can see and talk to ghosts...and not all earth-tethered spirits are Casper-ly friendly, or simply looking for a friend. Most are there because they have the notorious "unfinished business" to take care of and in some cases, the years (or centuries!) passing by can cause a breakdown of their spirit...and boy oh boy when that spirit has some OOMPHF behind it...LOOK OUT! No really, look out because if you take one part INFAMOUS AUTHOR and add in a dash of AFTERLIFE PHENONMENA with a big heaping spoonful of UNFINISHED BUSINESS, you get the general makings of this story that you won't want to miss!

Apart from the historical aspects (intriguing!), and fanciful facts we learn about Mr. Samuel L. Clemens, there is even more that makes this charming book an absolute MUST READ! What other things? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's see there's the way the story is told, alternating between a recollection of his past experience with ghosts and the current timeline...there's how Alex manages to work around his talent, hiding it just enough to keep BOTH sides of the grave MOSTLY calm...there's Bones who is anything but boney and a true blue friend, even when things turn south...there's the danger, the heartfelt beyond the grave reach outs (which yes, had me in tears!), the dawning light of reality when a person's outlook has been changed...and like I said, SO MUCH MORE! It really was a delightful read with both a serious and fun side that balanced each other out nicely, so if you're in the market and a fan of Middle Grade, Paranormal, or even Edutainment, I'd highly suggest giving this one a GO!

A highly enjoyable read for all the lovers of a good adventure, humorous dialogues mixed with mystery.

Alex April has a particular gift or curse: he can see ghosts. On the contrary of what you might believe, these ghosts are far from being scary, they are mostly annoying, loud and have the infuriating habit of popping out in the most normal places. Knowing by experience that acknowledging the spirits will only get him into trouble, Alex got pretty good in hiding his talent from both humans and paranormal beings alike. Until this teacher makes a specific requirement for this student to get a library card and present one of Mark Twain’s books. The problem is the library is the most haunted building in town. It’s home to several types of ghosts: the vengeful, the hurting, the crying ghosts, but one, in particular, that seems very interested in finding the legendary Twain Treasure. While his paranormal-fanatic best friend can’t wait to start the adventure, Alex is concerned they might end up very much on the dead side of things.

This children book has everything. It brings together ghosts, history, humour and it gives a glimpse to the life of the famous American author Mark Twain. The story is told in the first person, providing flashbacks of Alex’s past. The transitions are made perfectly and you don’t let lost in the story while jumping from present to the past. The style of writing is simple and easy to follow. As expected, the plot develops in a fast-pace. There a few twists and unexpected turns in the story that will keep you interested, especially when you get to follow Alex into the world of dead cheerleaders and famous historical figures.

The characters are well developed, described and easy to laugh with them and walk with them through the story. Alex, the main character, has a troubled past considering his gift. He always had problems fitting in and feeling like a normal boy. As we get to know him better, we truly feel for him, understanding his struggles and his courage in tackling his life and his issues. He deals with things the best way he can and uses a lot of humour to lighten darker situations. Bones, Alex’s best friend, is hilarious and a great sidekick. He is obsessed with the supernatural and paranormal events and he’s the first one to rush into the mysterious treasure quest. Even though Wolfe doesn’t dig as deep as he did with Alex, Bones is an essential piece of the story and his way of reacting to events is funny and it does help Alex see things with a bit more colour. He keeps Alex grounded without even realising it.

This novel was truly a pleasure to read. I believe this is a great beginning to an exciting series and I can’t wait to read the next adventures of Alex and Bones!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Dreaming Robot Press and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

Ghosts, humor and adventure make this a fun read while giving a wonderful glimpse into the life of one of America's most famous authors, Mark Twain.

Alex can see and hear ghosts, and they know he can. Too bad his parents and everyone else have always believed he suffers from schizophrenia. Now, in the town of Hannibal, he's off to a fresh start, and now, he's old enough to know how to avoid ghosts as much as he can. Unfortunately, his best friend is a paranormal fan...an extreme fan. Just when Alex thinks he can balance it all, his teacher assigns the class to finish a report involving Mark Twain by the end of school break. And he insists they use the town's library—one of the most haunted buildings in Hannibal. And it's hear that Alex runs into the most persistent, determined ghost ever.

This is a wonderful mixture of adventure and history. The story is fast-paced and full of unexpected twists and turns as Alex goes from a ghostly cheerleader in a graveyard to a much too alive and violent football player to a ghost who doesn't follow any of the 'ghostly rules'. And amid all of this, he has to solve a mystery too. It's a fun mixture and teaches things along the way without ever having that 'learning' feel.

Alex is a great kid, who has a fairly troubled past thanks to his ridiculous 'talent' to see and hear ghosts. How difficult his past has been is shown in flash-backs, which are strewn throughout the book. By putting these in italics, the author makes the transitions very clear and smooth. And they come just a little bit at a time, exactly the amount needed to gradually gain a deeper understanding of Alex and respect how much he's tackled in his life so far. He's easy to sympathize with, definitely not a pansy, and deals with things as best he can.

His best friend, Bones, adds a nice and, at times, humorous note. Although Bones never develops as a character as much as Alex does, he gives the entire story a lovely twist and keeps Alex grounded without even realizing it.

This is a fun start to what appears to be an exciting series, one which even teachers and homeschoolers are sure to appreciate.

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves adventures, funny dialogues and CHildren’s FIction with mystery solving elements. My 12-13-year-old self would love to collect all of the books about Alex April (I presume there is going to be quite a few of them) and re-read them over and over again during school breaks.
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Alex April can see ghosts.

It turns out that ghosts are not just scary, but mostly very annoying, especially when you are trying to live a normal life. Imagine that you wouldn’t be able to go to the library, because of course libraries are the most haunting place. One step inside and you are surrounded by weeping, hurting, vengeful ghosts, who have no concern about this thing called “private space”.

Unlike us, bookworms, Alex April didn’t suffer from the lack of library visits. In fact, he was rather indifferent to it. Until his teacher made it one of the requirements for his student to get a library card and make a presentation on one of Mark Twain’s books.

That is when the fun began.

I found the story very compelling and interesting. First person narrative made it so much more engaging and Alex April was the most hilarious character I’ve had a pleasure to read about in a very long time.

Bones, Alex’s ghost-hunting friend, was just as entertaining and their interactions might have been my favorite parts of the book. When someone like Alex April who can see and talk to the ghosts, tries to avoid ghosts at any cost, of course, his best friend would be obsessed with ghosts and everything paranormal.

My daughter (9) read this book in one sitting. She loves fantasy and this was her first "ghost story' but she enjoyed it and said she would definitely read more of them from now on.
The unchallenging language and fast pace meant she could just concentrate on the plot and enjoy all the shambolic actions of Mark Twain and fellow ghosts making the read entertaining and engaging.
She liked Alex April and his personal struggle with handling such a great power while trying to live a "normal life" but she thinks his sidekick Bone wasn't quite explored enough throughout the book and she would have liked to know more about his life and his family. I appreciate that possibly that Bone may get a bigger part in the sequel? Overall a good read for a middle grade audience.
My daughter say she would recommend this book to her friends.

Decent ghost tale and mystery surrounding Mark Twain and his history.