I enjoyed this short middle grade supernatural fantasy book. CJ is a compelling, fallible middle school who has a distinct passion for news reporting. Williams uses the supernatural aspect as a way to help CJ explore her own flaws and learn from the mistakes to become a better person.

Unmasking evil witches, rescuing kidnapped pets, saving the town from evil--exactly what kid reporter CJ Delaney had in mind for summer vacation.

This is such an adorable book. I cannot wait for more in the series! C.J. Delaney is one of my new favorite protagonists!

This is a really great solid mystery for children! The characters are likable and it's paced quickly. I would recommend this! Thank you to Carol Williams, Holiday House Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was WONDERFUL! It took me back to the good old Nancy drew days in middle school, I love the characters and how each one is written with a lot of identity. I must say, the bold vs silly bestfriend trope always wins!
- spooky mystery
- funny
- original and classical all at once

Give it all the flowers! I’d love to see more MG books of this exact genre and writing.

I thought this was such a fun MG mystery! I thought it would be more like a Scooby-Doo story where the supernatural turns out to be logical, but this was actually supernatural. I always love any book with witches, so I enjoyed the storyline of this one. I also did not see that ending coming at all. CJ had a really vibrant personality, but I found that she was quite self-absorbed at times. Everything works out well in the end though. I loved the short chapters of the story and I think that’s a great thing to have for kids books because reading seems to go by a lot quicker when chapters are shorter. Let me know if you’ve noticed that before when reading books with short chapters. Either way, I would highly recommend this book for kids! It’s such a fun story with a really passionate and driven FMC.

I'm a sucker for reporter MC and mysteries and this story delivers. It was fast paced and incredibly fun.

The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney by Carol Williams is a lively and engaging middle-grade novel that blends mystery and supernatural elements with the adventurous spirit of youth. However, it falls short in certain areas, which earns it a solid three stars.

The story follows young reporter CJ Delaney, who, along with her best friend Parker, finds herself embroiled in a series of bizarre events following a supernatural incident at the opening of a new skatepark. The premise is intriguing and promises a thrilling ride as CJ uncovers evil witches, rescues kidnapped pets, and ultimately aims to save her town from malevolent forces.

Williams excels at creating a vibrant, small-town setting that feels both cozy and mysterious. The bond between CJ and Parker is heartwarming, providing a solid backbone to the story. Their camaraderie and determination are genuinely inspiring, capturing the essence of youthful curiosity and bravery.

The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney offers a fun and light-hearted read. The stakes feel real, especially as CJ faces the possibility of losing those she loves most. Young readers will likely enjoy the blend of mystery and the supernatural, even if seasoned readers might find it a bit formulaic.

Overall, Carol Williams delivers a book that, while not groundbreaking, provides enough excitement and charm to keep middle-grade readers entertained. It's a decent addition to the genre, perfect for a summer read, but it may leave some wishing for a bit more depth and originality.

🌟📚 I absolutely loved this middle-grade novel! The setting was fantastic, and the plot kept me hooked from start to finish. Following the adventurous CJ as she unravels mysteries was a blast! She's such a captivating character, so professional for her age! 🔍😎 While I guessed the bad guy early on, it didn't dampen my enjoyment. Only gripe? Wish the pacing was a tad slower at the end. But overall, a delightful read! Highly recommend! 👍

I always try to keep an eye out for supernatural middle grade novels to read and review for my blog, particularly to recommend for an October reading list later in the year. And on paper The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney should’ve checked every box. Unfortunately, after a hundred or so pages, I put this one down. It was written quite well, and there was a big focus on the journalistic themes of the story. However, there was something missing, for me anyway. And the part I did read ended up feeling repetitive and like nothing much had happened with the mystery or the “supernatural” aspect besides a sprinkling of clues. I understood what the author was doing by setting up CJ’s character the way she did. Ultimately the story didn’t work out for me, but I consider the reasons for that entirely subjective on my part. Like always, I encourage readers to seek out other reviews and make up their own minds about this book.

This copy of the book was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

The Cover <3
I loved that CJ was so passionate about journalism. I did appreciate the horror aspect & all the different elements to it.

First of all, it was super cool to read about black characters since there aren't many children books in which they're the main characters in my country. The cover is beautiful. CJ definitely is a strong head but I liked her ambition. Her narrative describes accurately some feelings a young adolescent can have. She's kinda bad with Parker though and often gives the impression that she uses people for her own benefits (self-centered). Even when she apologize to her friend it's only because she needs him. She also constantly puts him in danger even if he's clear about not wanting to. She never really told him about Conti wanting him in the newspaper either even if she makes an effort at the end.
I was thrilled when Hecate was first mentioned since I'm a big mythology fan. However, in ancient myths, just like Hades, she's not a malevolent deity even if she's always portrayed as such in many books (bad research or ?). I thought the story would be a bit more complex (there could have been multiple volumes, for example). I understand it's a middle grade book so there needs to be a "bad" supernatural villain but I wish it was made clear that not all witches are bad even if one of the ladies mentions the existence of other supernatural beings who can chose the right path. There rarely were human sacrifices in ancient Greece but I guess we could blame this on Mrs. Olsen "madness". She did have her own motives which was nice.
Overall, this book was a good read but it could have been even better.

This story is a middle grade adventure detective novel with ghosts!

This was a fun story! I liked the characters and the relationships. I also love the cozy town setting going on. I think a lot of kids will like this one! The story had a good plot that kept me interested.

I do feel like it was a bit slow at times. However, it was still a quick read and I would recommend.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Holiday House for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

*4.25 Stars*

I really liked this middle grade novel. I liked the setting and the plot was pretty interesting. I loved following little intrepid CJ and see her get into trouble to find the truth. She was a really fun character to follow around. She was so professional at her young age and I found her truly captivating.
I did guess who the bad guy was pretty early on but I didn't mind. I just wished the pacing had been a bit different cause I felt like the end was a little too fast.
Still, I really enjoyed this and I would definitely recommend it.

For the lovers of Goosebumps, Nancy Drew and all adventure, mystery, detective and fantasy books.
This is a lovely book for tween readers to enjoy with mystery and unexplainable incidents that have our curious main characters searching for answers. It's not exactly horror like Goosebumps but I will advise parents to perhaps read this first before the children just in case some might be uncomfortable with the idea of
kids reading a bit about witchcraft (this book is described as supernatural so it is to be expected that magic etc may be present.).
I found CJ to be a typical tween- a little selfish but also passionate, she wants to have some freedom and not be treated like a kid but also has to learn that everything has consequences and I liked that she grew as a person by the end of it.
I found the packing to be a bit up and down. Started well then I think it went slow but then picked up before going in circles- the last portion was really good to read. So maybe just stick to the end.

Utterly adorable! THE SUPERNATURAL FILES OF CJ DELANEY is exactly the kind of fun, voicey, just-the-right-amount-of-creepy mystery that Little Me would've gone *feral* over. CJ is such a fiery heroine and I adored her ambitious wiliness; I also loved that Carol Williams allowed her to be messy and imperfect and, y'know, a regular kid as *well* as a journalistic prodigy in the making. The mystery itself was well-paced with some excellent sleuthing opportunities (although I did find myself wishing for a little more of a twist, or perhaps a little less discord between the quirky & creepy elements). But Williams has such a delightful writing style; I just KNOW this is going to be a hit! I can't wait to see what shenanigans CJ gets into next, and I'm crossing my fingers tightly for a series.

I was drawn to the main character who appears very responsible and mature for a large part of the book. Yet, I didn't quite grasp why, at 80% into my reading, she suddenly starts acting particularly stupid. Fortunately, the conclusion comes quickly and things fall back into place. But I found it a bit unfortunate. I really had a great time discovering this slow dive into the strange, and despite a few points that bothered me, I think it's a very entertaining adventure, and I hope C.J. Delanay will have new adventures.

A fun, quick read perfect for young readers. I enjoyed the setting, plot, and characters. I think the inner dialogue of CJ is something a lot of kids can relate to. Sometimes she felt a little too… bossy? But maybe that’s the point. I liked that it was from a young girl’s perspective who was an aspiring journalist.

First up, a big thank you for allowing me to read this one! Sadly, the format (PDF) is not working on either my phone (the Netgalley app) as it is too tiny or when converted to my Kindle (it is broken up). However, what I read I liked. I love the cover (so cool), I love it is about reporting/news papers, and that her grandmother helped her out with her stories making sure that CJ knew what she was doing and could explore more things in that story (though I did agree with her on the scary dog, haha, I don't have kids but I would also have been hesitant to let a kid just go after something potentially dangerous), I love the chapter starters with all the little ghosts, I love the main character (she is so dedicated and I cannot wait to see her solve all these mysteries), the town sounds fun (and I want to visit), and things were getting quite exciting! I am definitely going to be reading this one when the book comes out in May and maybe will update my review here then. For now 4 stars because, again, I enjoyed what I read. It just didn't work with the tiny font.

A good introduction into paranormal characters and promotes the newspaper world nicely. I found CJ a bit much but then again that shows good character development.

The Supernatural Files of CJ Delaney

Countess Jewel Delaney II - With a mouthful of a name like that, who wouldn’t have a nickname? Especially when you’re the town’s youngest Ace Reporter and have a cool nickname like CJ !! But of course, as it is with the coolest things, there are restrictions. This time, it’s CJ’s parents, always insisting that she should only report “boring” stories and not the cool, dangerous scoops. But when CJ is on another “boring” story as she calls it, the skateboard park opening, a scream calls out. Mrs.Beyer , shivering, reports a loud growl, and supernatural dogs!! This is exactly the story CJ wants. But will her parents let her investigate? And will she learn to overcome her shortcomings, before it’s too late…

A great book!! It was written well, but there were a few rough spots in the book. However, the story building was great and the twist was parfait !! But I don’t want to make a whole bunch of people mad at me from spoilers; so 9/10!!!