I received a free copy of THE MYSTERY OF BLACK HOLLOW LANE by Julia Nobel in exchange for an honest review. Emmy’s mom is a parenting expert. More interested in furthering her career than in parenting her actual daughter, Emmy’s mom ships Emmy off to boarding school in England. At Wellsworth, Emmy makes a couple of really good friends but has to put up with several bullies. When Emmy finds out her missing father also attended Wellsworth, she seizes the opportunity to find out more about him. However, she’s going to have to go through the bullies to do so.

I enjoyed this book. It was both interesting and entertaining. There was an element of danger and plenty of suspense.

Interest Level: 5-8

Imagine your dad disappeared ten years ago and your mom is too busy with her work to deal with you. This is Emmy's life! On her third birthday her dad went missing and is presumed dead. Her mother writes parenting books and is now starting a reality television show in which she has to go from family to family helping them with their children. Since her mom won't be around she is sending Emmy to a boarding school in England. Emmy is used to moving schools because anytime a school drops a point, she gets pulled out for a better school, but half way around the world? Emmy's first impression of the school is not a good one when she meets her roommate, who had the room to herself until Emmy came along. These two do not hit it off and Emmy is expecting to not be accepted by everyone. She couldn't be more wrong. She very quickly makes best friends with Lola and Jack. These three become inseparable and it's a good thing because mysterious notes about Emmy's father start being left for her about her father. She soon finds out that her dad went to Wellsworth and he has a very dark past at this school. As Emmy and her friends start to investigate a secret order of men things start to become very dangerous. Will Emmy find out the mystery of her dad? Is he dead or alive? Will Emmy survive when the powers higher than her try to stop her investigation? Read this incredible book to find out what happens!!

This books was absolutely amazing! It was full of mystery, suspense, and a friendship that will stop at nothing to help each other. I have mentioned in my blogs before that I am a slow reader. To say that I read this book in a 24 hour period says a lot about it. I could not put it down. The writing was magnificent!! I wanted to go to Wellsworth and become friends with these kids! Towards the end of the book I wanted to finish it so bad to find out how it ends, but at the same time I didn't want the book to end!! I am so in love with this book and I can not wait for the second book to come out!! This is a 2019 book that you can not miss!!

3.5 STARS - This book piqued my interest with its beautiful cover and its setting - a British boarding school. Gotta love it! The mystery has an adventurous feel with its ancient relics, secret societies and hidden passageways but at the heart of the story is Emmy, a tween girl who has been dumped at the school by her overly busy mom but finds solace in two friends who don't mind digging into the mystery of Emmy's missing father.

While Nobel brings her own unique story and characters, fans of Harry Potter will see its influence here in a few spots and whether this engages or distracts will depend on the reader. What will keep kids reading is wanting to know more about the secret society and the whereabouts of Emmy's father.

As the first book in a new series, time is taken to set up the overall plot which left parts of the book (and some characters) feeling like they weren't given enough time. But now that the groundwork has been set for the series, I believe future books will focus more on the mystery and developing more well-rounded characters.

Overall, this is an intriguing Middle School mystery with some darker elements but ultimately, it's a story about friendship and finding a place where you belong.

Emmeline (Emmy) has bounced around from private school to private school since her mother, a child psychology guru, has accepted different jobs. Now that her mother has a television show in development, her mother decides to ship her off to a boarding school in England! Emmy isn't given any choice, so she soon finds herself arriving mid term at Wellsworth, angering her new roommate and being forbidden from playing her beloved soccer. She also has to take Latin, and her house mother, Madame Boyd, arranges for her to join the Latin Society to get help. Emmy does at least make new friends in Lola, who is on the school football (soccer) team, and Jack, whose brother is a big wig in the Latin Society but who is not a member himself. Emmy starts to realize that her long dead father attended the school, and that the medallions she found hidden in her house might be related to the Latin Society... and that the society might not be a force for good. She lets several people know her suspicions, including school caretaker Jonas, and before long she and her friends are embroiled in a mystery that involves a lot of secret passages in old buildings as well as a growing sense of danger. Some mysteries are solved, but even more are uncovered and will be addressed in a yet-to-be titled sequel.
Strengths: I will personally read ANYTHING set in a British boarding school, like Kerr's The Girl with the Glass Bird and Stevens Murder is Bad Manners. This had a sort of a National Treasure feel to it, with an evil society and various clues to its existence. The inclusion of soccer is always great, and I was glad when Emmy finally got to play. Lola and Jack are great friends, and the adults are all supportive until the turn out to have ulterior motives. Very fun, and a quick read even though it was a little longer.
Weaknesses: Are the British really this mean to each other in boarding schools? Why!? Also, I'm not entirely sure that Latin is taught even in boarding schools in England anymore! But, if you have to have a secret society, I imagine that one relating to Latin is just as likely as anything else.
What I really think: I do have one student who wants to read what he calls "academy books", set in schools for witchcraft, spies, etc. I think he would like this, and it did have a good mystery. I would like to know how many books are in the series-- my readership could support three, but more than that would probably gather dust.

Could not finish this fast enough!

Emmy is a very intriguing character and she is on a mission! What happened to her father? How far will she go to find out? I cannot wait for more books in this series!

First up, thank you to the publisher for allowing me to try this one out. Sadly, the book and I didn't click. And normally I adore boarding school x mystery books, however this one no.

For one, our girl is aged 12, however throughout the parts I read she never felt like 12. Rather like 15, or 16.

Then there is the fact I just can't believe our girl is allowed in the school like that. She doesn't have a clue on what is happening in history lessons, is behind in all her other lessons (so much that she will have to spend weeks or months getting back and then she is behind again), and then there is the latin thing. She cannot do latin, which isn't strange, but it is strange that she was allowed in a school that has it. All in all, sorry, I just can't see how she will ever get up to where her classmates are.

There is your typical mean rich girl which made me snort and roll my eyes at it all.

The girl is totally oblivious to anything, I get that America and England are different but it seems she doesn't even know how to socialise.

So yeah, I gave up at around 20%. I just couldn't read any further.

This was loads of fun.

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane felt a little like a nonmagical Harry Potter, though it's a unique story in its own right. After one book the series definitely exhibits a lighter plot than Rowling's series, though I hope it will evolve as it progresses. The book feels age appropriate for the middle reader target audience, but there's definitely plenty here for adult readers as well.

The confrontation at the end felt a bit cartoonish, and there are some elements of the book (Emmy's mother, for example), that seem to swing to wide, but I found the story otherwise exceptional. There were a few plot threads left dangling at the end, but I assume those will be resolved later in the series. Eagerly awaiting the next installment.

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane was a really good middle grade read. Emmy's dad disappeared several years ago, and her mother is a premier family psychologist who just booked a new gig in the US. As a result, Emmy is sent to boarding school mid-year where she not only has to play catch up, but try to fit in and make friends too. The mystery behind Emmy's father's disappearance rears its head and she and her new friends follow the trail through the school and even a secret society.

I really liked the story line in this book. I felt that the mystery was very well laid out, the school and its environment was realistic, and the friendships were good. What I didn't like was that everything being done seemed out of the age range. I had a very hard time picturing 12 year-olds climbing the bell tower of a church and thinking quite as critically as these did. Aside from this though, the story was good and left me wanting more. I will definitely be watching for the next book.

Title: The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane
Author: Julia Nobel
My Rating: 4 Stars

What it's about:

Emmy’s dad disappeared when she was 3 years old. But now that her mom is sending her to the same boarding school her dad attended, she has a lot of questions, especially when she starts receiving mysterious letters and finds an old box of medallions that belonged to her dad. What does it all mean? Is Emmy in more danger than she realizes? Could her dad still be alive?

What I liked:

I thought the mystery of this story was captivating. I love a good boarding school tale, and this one kept me reading. I love how much this book reminded me of Harry Potter. A boarding school that her father attended, a hidden chamber under the school, she happens to be fantastic at the schools seemingly only sport, Emmy become best friends with 2 other students, recreating the golden trio, and by the end of the book she feels like the school is her home, and begs her mom to let her come back the next year. That being said it isn’t a rip-off of the magical novels we all love, because this story isn’t about magic at all, but instead focuses on a secret society that goes back generations.


What I disliked:

I felt like the main character in this novel was lacking a lot of personality. She was boring to me, it was definitely the story line that pulled me along.

Overview:

This is a great middle grade novel, and it’s perfect for fans of Harry Potter. The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane comes out in March 2019!

This was a fine middle grade book. It was nothing special, but I think kids would enjoy it. I do wish the characters and friendships had been better developed, but the secret society shows promise for sequels.

Everything at the prestigious Wellsworth boarding school seems pretty weird to Emmy, who’s been dropped off there while her mother takes a huge new step in her TV career. Her roommate is horrible, the lessons are nothing like what she learned in New York, and there’s a whole tangle of new rules, spoken and unspoken to follow. What is especially weird, though, is the mysterious clues she keeps finding – clues which might lead her to the whereabouts of her father, who disappeared nine years ago, and who Emmy thought was dead.

This is a very atmospheric read, both in the creepy bits and not. I felt so much for Emmy as she tried to deal with everything – she’s still reeling from her mother’s abandonment, not to mention the perfectly normal stresses of moving to a new school and a new country. She’s had to put her mother’s career first so many times, and I thought she was a really strong person to be as stoic as she was – so I was thrilled when she started to make friends! Her main friends, Lola and Jack, were also nicely written and seemed to have a lot of depth to them (far more than some sidekicks ever do!). I liked that their backstories and strengths became as relevant to the plot as Emmy’s were.

The mystery itself didn’t go where I was expecting it to (I was thinking it would be ghosts), but involves a secret society and lots and lots of sneaking about in the dark, which is super exciting. The ominous Order feel like a believable threat, and I think that the spook level is pitched perfectly for the 9-12 audience – there’s no violence or scariness, but a looming unease that keeps you turning the pages. Personally, I would have liked the stakes to be a little less vague, but I’m certainly intrigued to see where the next book goes, with the information that Emmy now has (no spoilers!).

If you’re looking for an exciting and atmospheric story with believable pre-teen characters, this is definitely a good pick. It publishes in March 2019, so get it on those wishlists… Four out of five cats!

When her mother's career takes precedence over parenthood, Emmy is sent to Wellsworth, a boarding school in England. Life at Wellsworth is full of mystery, homework, bullies, friends, and a mysterious society that will stop at nothing to keep their power and secrets.

Emmy never knew her father but, upon discovering a hidden box filled with medallions before her departure to England, their paths cross. He risked everything to catch a glimpse of her, while trying to ensure she never looked for him. The last thing that should be said to Emmy, is that she can't or shouldn't. 

Her first year at Wellsworth saw the making of a new family, a deeper understanding of what family is, that somethings in life are worth protecting at any cost, and that people may not be what they first appear. 

The book is a real page-turner that would entertain any reader. The only complaint I have is that the book leaves you wanting more.