The books are brimming with secrets from the past, magical forces, supernatural activity and LOTS of sneaking around! If there's one thing we can promise new Aveline Jones readers, it's that the books never get boring... An aspect we especially love about this series is the friendship between Aveline and Harold, her trusty partner for all things enigma-solving, who she can always count on for help. The character of Aveline is very approachable and her affinity for ghost stories adds to her charm. She is balanced out by her Aunt Lilian and new friend Harold, who try to add some rationality to the strange hauntings. A character I also absolutely loved was the quirky Mr Lieberman who owns the local bookshop. The adults in this aren't infuriating or in the way like a lot of adults are in middle grade novels - the characters were done so well, I seemed to like them all (well, maybe except the terrifying ghost... but no spoilers here).

Aveline Jones loves to read ghost stories, while others her age like stories with unicorns or horses. Knowing she is different in this way, she is unstoppable in her quest to find spooky tales.I REALLY enjoyed this book. The atmosphere was pitch-perfect in this, from the gloomy stormy weather, to the small-town feel, it was very nicely written. It's one of those books where you could cosy down with a hot chocolate on a dark night close to Halloween and read cover-to-cover. For a ghost story mystery, this one is a fantastic one. Aveline is forced to spend half term visiting her strict and formal Aunt Lilian in the little coastal town of Malmouth, days of boredom await her and she uses her love of ghost stories to pass the time finding a very old one full of tales, in a second hand bookshop where she meets shy and messy haired Harold and his Great Uncle. So often there are middle grades where adults completely discard what the kids tell them. And while that does happen most of the time in real life, I love seeing it play out different because I think it is also a teaching moment for the adults that read middle grade. To be open to what our kids have to say. We don't have to squash them because we think it is silly. The biggest strength of this book is that all the elements of the story are perfectly attuned to each other. The writing style just instantly grabs you and yanks you into the story. The mystery of Primrose’s disappearance is very slowly unraveled and the revelations constantly keep you on your toes. I love the ghost story within a story concept. It’s gripping, tense, creepy and atmospheric. It’s very spooky and mysterious, without being over the top. There are some subtle scare tactics used here that are common in horror stories, but they never go too far. It’s a slow and tense build towards a really strong and satisfying climax. This is a book that definitely shouldn’t be read at the time I read it (way past midnight in a dark and gloomy room), but rather during the day. I was spooked out quite a few times and before sleeping had to read a cutesy picture book to calm my mind. 😛

The MM Agency is a dedicated and passionate literary agency with a global outlook, specialising in launching debut writers, international rights and book to screen adaptations. It is a very exciting book- you really can't put it down because you are so drawn into the story, you have to know what happens next. Very atmospheric, particularly the descriptions of the seaside town in Autumn, the emptiness of the streets now the tourists have gone. But it is not for the fainthearted or easily spooked and definitely not something to read just before bedtime. I will be reading the second book, but only in daylight! The Haunting Of Aveline Jones is a spooky and gripping tale that I did not want to put down. This is a perfect story to read on the run up to Halloween. 🎃 Set in the 1950s, this is a dark and Gothic tale about two sisters that find themselves uncovering the connection their family has to a very scary piece of local folklore. It’s a slow build mystery with lots of intriguing clues that will soon have you glancing nervously over your shoulder. The Peculiar by Stefan BachmannSome girls like ballet; some like football; Aveline Jones likes ghosts. And anyone who enjoys a creepy, well-plotted, atmospheric ghost story will love this book. The setting is a little West Country fishing port, where Aveline is staying with her aunt while her mother is away. Hallowe’en is approaching and Aveline is unsettled by the village’s custom of leaving life-size manikins of children outside the houses – it’s seriously spooky. A visit to the local second-hand bookshop begins an adventure that will reveal the reason for the dolls, and one that sees Aveline herself caught up in an old tragedy that still haunts the villagers. It’s deliciously creepy reading, just the thing to add a frisson of fear as the nights draw out and highly recommended! The Haunting of Aveline Jones is a fast-paced, extremely well-written story, scary enough to send shivers down the spine and perfect for Halloween. Aveline is a feisty, intelligent girl who, although often scared by what is happening around her, is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Primrose. Helped by an interesting and well-drawn bunch of characters - Harold and Mr Lieberman from the bookshop, Edith Fitzwilliam, an authority on local folklore, and even Aunt Lilian herself - Aveline continues to work on the puzzle. I just loved Aveline, she is a bookworm like me and can get totally lost in books. Not only that, but she also loves ghost stories, which I have been doing since I was small. I just love bookworms in stories. I can often relate to them. Next to the bookworm stuff, Aveline was also a wonderful and brave character. She went on to search for Primrose despite the scary things happening to her and in the end even tried to do something (which was a bit stupid but mostly brave) for Primrose. Aveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance. Now someone...or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline. The story about the lady of the water was more sad at first, though became increasingly NOPE as it continued.