Reviews ~ Boarding School Mysteries

"I attended an SCBWI workshop with you in San Antonio and learned so very much so when I heard about your four books for Zondervan I just had to order all of them from Barnes and Noble online. They were so wonderful!!!! I absolutely loved the way you used real crimes to solve and that the characters faced dilemmas and turned to God. They were so beautifully done! The things Jeri said were exactly [like] the way we do in our family. I also think Jeri, Rosa, Abby, and Nikki are so well rounded. I am going to be sending them to my great-niece who just turned 11. I think these will be perfect for her. Thanks for a great read!"

At U.S.A. Today: "...Twelve-year-old Jerri McKane is distraught to hear her roommate and several other girls from Landmark School for Girls are missing after they didn’t return from a school field trip. What is more startling is the purple and yellow school van was spotted traveling along a two-lane road bordering a lake, but was not seen coming out the other end. What happened to the bus? Did it careen on black ice or was there foul play?

Amateur sleuth Jerri McKane will stop at nothing to find out what happened to the bus, even if it means risking her own life.

I was riveted to the edge of my seat wondering what happened to that bus. The author’s carefully laid red herring left me totally clueless. I couldn't figure out what happened and I didn't know who to trust. The characterization of the cantankerous head mistress, the overzealous T.V. reporter, and the blue-haired, nose-ringed news camera woman made the story come to life."

At Reuter's: "Advanced readers too young to handle the likely reasons the children disappeared: possible accidental death, possible child abduction, and possible murder should not read this story just yet. I wouldn’t want the little ones to suffer from bad dreams.

But middle school-aged children through adults will enjoy Fading Tracks as Jerri learns to “trust God when the world doesn’t seem to make sense."

Also picked up by ABC affiliate WISN.com for review. Originally reviewed by BookSplurge, an online book review source.

From Loves to Read: "When a boarding school bus from the girl's boarding school goes missing all of the students are worried and frightened. Jeri McKane's roomate was one of the missing girls and Jeri is determined to do whatever she can to find them...This book was a great YA mystery. It draws you into the world of Jeri the main character as she investigates the bus disappearance and tries to help anyway she can."

From The Friendly Book Nook: "I thought that this was a very good read for girls ages 9-13. The book was very engaging and I liked the variety in the main characters - some girls were missionary kids, some were girls at a private boarding school, some had money and some didn’t have much money at all and had to keep up a scholarship in order to stay. The girls were from different parts of the world, but they each had common issues to deal with. Jeri dealt with forgiveness issues with her father, which are common to today’s culture. Rosa had to deal with being born before her mother was married. Another girl dealt with losing a father to death… The mystery part kept me guessing until the very end - I like surprises! Christianity is present, but it was ‘not in your face.’ A nonbeliever could read this book and understand it. I’d like to read more in the series!”

From Book Splurge: Best in Books: "Can faith, courage, and the truth win out?

Jeri McKane's best friend Rosa is being blackmailed. If the creep isn't paid, Rosa will be expelled from school. But that's not the worst of it, Rosa thinks Jeri is blackmailing her. After all, Rosa only told Jeri her big secret. Jeri sets out to find who the blackmailer is only to find others are now being blackmailed, including herself. Where did the blackmailer find cruel information about her father? Can Jeri stop the blackmailer from spreading hurtful information before reputations are ruined and Rosa gets expelled?

I'm having fun with this series. I pretty much figured out who the culprit is in this story, but I still see-sawed a bit thinking:" Naw, couldn't be! Could it?" The scene when the blackmailer is caught is thrilling. All I have to say is: I'm now hooked on this series. I don't have book #3 Smokescreen and #4 Pick Your Poison, but I will look for them in my nearest book store.

For anyone wanting a good read but needs a little break from full-length books, I recommend this series to satisfy your book craving without consuming too much time."

From Loves to Read: "In book two of the Boarding School Mysteries series we join twelve-year-old Jeri McKane as she deals with another mystery at the Landmark School for Girls. When Jeri discovers her best friend and roommate is being blackmailed she immediately wants to help, but will her help get her into more trouble? And who is this person who knows the girls secrets?...I enjoyed this book a lot. It was suspenseful and touching as the book not only talks about the mysterious blackmailer, but also Jeri's relationship with her absent father. There are twists and turns in the plot that will keep you guessing. It is a great read for the young mystery fan."

From Flamingnet: New and Advanced Reviews: "protagonist Jeri finds herself neck-deep in a case of blackmail against her best friend, Rosa. Only, the worst part is that Rosa thinks it is Jeri who's doing the blackmailing! Jeri is determined to help her friend and save their friendship. Starting with the most likely suspects, Jeri is sidetracked when Rosa is thrown off the drama team because she did not pay the blackmailer. Miss Kimberly, the drama teacher, seems appalled, but yet . . . not so much. Is there more to Miss Kimberly than meets the eye? Jeri finds out that there is . . . and she barely escapes with her life! ...This was unique and satisfying. I also liked that there was a true villain, and that the characters had to go through real danger and struggles. If you like Nancy Drew, I think you should give this book, and others in the series, a shot."

"There’s never a dull moment for Jeri McKane at the Landmark Boarding School. Just as anticipations are high for the upcoming Hawaiian dance, the biology lab is deliberately set on fire. Jeri’s best friend and lab partner is hurt and is sent to the hospital. But who and why would someone set the biology lab on fire? When another fire is set, Jeri’s new friend Tim, who’s mentally impaired, is blamed.

Determined to find out who the firebug is before he or she sets another fire, Jeri sets out to solve the crime before someone else is hurt. But is Jeri too late?

Amateur sleuth and sixth grader Jeri McKane deals with prejudice of a different kind in Smoke Screen. In another book in the Boarding School Mysteries Series, Jeri encounters girls at the boarding school who dislike her roommate because of her nationality, and here a mentally impaired boy is ridiculed and made fun of because he is different. Jeri desperately wants to demonstrate the love of God to her classmates by being nice to Tim, but when he develops romantic feelings for her will the peer pressure be too much?

Jeri experiences inner turmoil by not always having the nicest thoughts about Tim. However, she always talks to God about it, maintaining an open and real relationship with him. I thought this was an encouragement and an example to young believers on how to live out their faith. Readers will see her battle her conscience but instead of fearing imperfection and running from God feeling ashamed, she feels free to talk to him. I noticed she had no problems talking things over with God in the same casual way she did with her mom.

Kristi Holl touches on subjects important to middle school-aged children, driving home such thought-provoking issues as peer pressure, self-image, friendships and acceptance. Without being overly preachy, middle schoolers will come away from Smoke Screen not only satisfied after solving a hard-to-figure out mystery, but will also be reminded that they can trust God in their lives.

There is an excerpt in the back of the book for another Boarding School Mystery titled Pick Your Poison that has piqued my interest. I confess: I’m an adult who really enjoys reading this series and tries to solve the mystery before Jeri. I succeeded only one time in four books in naming the culprit before Jeri. Jeri is good!"