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Abby & Holly, School Dance
PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER!
READERS' FAVORITE BOOK AWARDS - BRONZE MEDAL!
This is Book 1 of a series of Abby & Holly books. These two girls were first introduced in Book 5 of the Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series.
The girls are first cousins on their mothers' side. They moved to the quiet town of Lindon, New Hampshire and live in a grand old Victorian which is haunted.
The cousins are excited about attending the 6th grade dance. When their friend, Justine, is bullied, Abby and Holly, along with the help of a ghost and Davey & Derek, work together to formalize a plan to put a stop to the bullying.
READERS' FAVORITE BOOK AWARDS - BRONZE MEDAL!
This is Book 1 of a series of Abby & Holly books. These two girls were first introduced in Book 5 of the Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series.
The girls are first cousins on their mothers' side. They moved to the quiet town of Lindon, New Hampshire and live in a grand old Victorian which is haunted.
The cousins are excited about attending the 6th grade dance. When their friend, Justine, is bullied, Abby and Holly, along with the help of a ghost and Davey & Derek, work together to formalize a plan to put a stop to the bullying.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2018
3 people want to read
About the author
Janice Spina
53 books111 followersJanice Spina is an award-winning author with forty-nine books, of which twenty-three are children's books with life lessons in rhyme. Her children's books have won eighteen awards. She has also written for MG/PT/YA and has two magical/mystery series of twelve books for both boys and girls which have won seventeen awards, and four books in a fantasy series for YA with five awards. Her husband, John, is her illustrator and cover creator.
She also writes under J.E. Spina and has nine novels and a short story collection for 18+ in multi-genres. Two of her thriller/crime/suspense/mystery novels were finalists in Authorsdb First Lines Contest.
Her Motto is Reading Gives You Wings to Fly, Soar with Jemsbooks.com all year through! Her logo is JEMSBOOKS for all ages!
Janice's goal is to encourage children of all ages to ready daily to help increase their vocabulary, heighten their creativity, inspire them and hopefully foster a love of reading in them to encourage them to be readers and thinkers for generations to come.
She loves to hear from readers and avidly welcomes reviews of all her books wherever they are purchased.
She also writes under J.E. Spina and has nine novels and a short story collection for 18+ in multi-genres. Two of her thriller/crime/suspense/mystery novels were finalists in Authorsdb First Lines Contest.
Her Motto is Reading Gives You Wings to Fly, Soar with Jemsbooks.com all year through! Her logo is JEMSBOOKS for all ages!
Janice's goal is to encourage children of all ages to ready daily to help increase their vocabulary, heighten their creativity, inspire them and hopefully foster a love of reading in them to encourage them to be readers and thinkers for generations to come.
She loves to hear from readers and avidly welcomes reviews of all her books wherever they are purchased.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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July 8, 2018I have long been a fan of Janice Spina’s young children’s books and her middle-grade Davey and Derek Junior Detectives series. I was excited to read the first book in her Abby and Holly series for middle-grade girls, and I was not disappointed.
Abby and Holly are the cousins we met in The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost (Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series Book 5) who helped Davey and Derek solve a case involving a ghost that was residing in Abby’s house. Now they are back seeking the help of their friends Davey and Derek in solving a case of a girl jealously sabotaging another classmate’s chance to go to the 6th-grade dance and plans to do even worse.
The story flows well, and the characters are developed nicely so anyone who hasn’t read any of the Davey and Derek series will have no trouble jumping in with book one of this series. Girls are going to love this series -- a touch of puppy love, fantasy, and a mystery to solve all in one book. The lessons of forgiving and forgetting and being kind are well documented in the story, an important reminder for everyone. This is another 5-star book from Janice Spina.
Abby and Holly are the cousins we met in The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost (Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series Book 5) who helped Davey and Derek solve a case involving a ghost that was residing in Abby’s house. Now they are back seeking the help of their friends Davey and Derek in solving a case of a girl jealously sabotaging another classmate’s chance to go to the 6th-grade dance and plans to do even worse.
The story flows well, and the characters are developed nicely so anyone who hasn’t read any of the Davey and Derek series will have no trouble jumping in with book one of this series. Girls are going to love this series -- a touch of puppy love, fantasy, and a mystery to solve all in one book. The lessons of forgiving and forgetting and being kind are well documented in the story, an important reminder for everyone. This is another 5-star book from Janice Spina.
August 4, 2018
Say hello to the Abby and Holly series!
Move over, Davey and Derek? Or maybe not... The duo is back, and the girls and boys are taking the world by the horns with another thrilling adventure! The haunted house! The mysterious ghost! The undying friendship! Good life lessons! And no more bullying!
Abby and Holly are cousins. The girls were first introduced in Book 5 of the Davey and Derek Junior Detectives series.
Janice Spina has beautifully blended two separate series in her new book, which is meant to entertain and educate middle grade readers. This time she sent two girls to solve a mystery that was quite intriguing. While trying to be just normal students, team members are dealing with serious issues so common for sixth graders: jealousy, intolerance, and bullying. The story is fun and adventurous, but the author smartly implants very important seeds that touch on problems so familiar for a middle school audience.
In this new book, Abby and Holly team up with their friends Davey and Derek, two shy but very experienced young detectives. The team needs to find out who is sabotaging one of their classmates, Justine, who plans her sixth grade school dance. Fearing that the girl is being bullied, the team members work closely with each other and their friends.
The story is sweet. It flows smoothly, just like other books from this wonderful author, which manages to surprise the young readers with perfectly developed characters and a wise plot. Even if the readers haven’t had the chance to get familiar with the Davey and Derek series, they won’t feel lost or have a hard time connecting the new story to Davey and Derek. And just like me, I hope the girls and boys will jump into the new adventures with a touch of fantasy, mystery, and some stronger feelings like love, forgiveness, and being kind to each other.
“Abby and Holly: School Dance” is one of those books that will make children feel good about themselves. The lessons of friendship and kindness are nicely incorporated into a fun story, which will put a smile on children’s faces. Trouble. Solution. Sweet first love. Friendship. And kindness. All of these qualities are in one book for young readers to enjoy. Yes, Justine is bullied, but she has a strong group of friends behind her, which helps her to overcome the fear of bullies. And with the help of her friends, the bullies may change their attitude too.
I am delighted that this book carries strong messages about the importance of being compassionate, kind, loving and accepting. It teaches teens to remember how they would feel if their places were reversed. Another entertaining and teaching series for middle schoolers by Janice Spina!
* I received this book as a gift from the author and chose to review it without compensation.
Move over, Davey and Derek? Or maybe not... The duo is back, and the girls and boys are taking the world by the horns with another thrilling adventure! The haunted house! The mysterious ghost! The undying friendship! Good life lessons! And no more bullying!
Abby and Holly are cousins. The girls were first introduced in Book 5 of the Davey and Derek Junior Detectives series.
Janice Spina has beautifully blended two separate series in her new book, which is meant to entertain and educate middle grade readers. This time she sent two girls to solve a mystery that was quite intriguing. While trying to be just normal students, team members are dealing with serious issues so common for sixth graders: jealousy, intolerance, and bullying. The story is fun and adventurous, but the author smartly implants very important seeds that touch on problems so familiar for a middle school audience.
In this new book, Abby and Holly team up with their friends Davey and Derek, two shy but very experienced young detectives. The team needs to find out who is sabotaging one of their classmates, Justine, who plans her sixth grade school dance. Fearing that the girl is being bullied, the team members work closely with each other and their friends.
The story is sweet. It flows smoothly, just like other books from this wonderful author, which manages to surprise the young readers with perfectly developed characters and a wise plot. Even if the readers haven’t had the chance to get familiar with the Davey and Derek series, they won’t feel lost or have a hard time connecting the new story to Davey and Derek. And just like me, I hope the girls and boys will jump into the new adventures with a touch of fantasy, mystery, and some stronger feelings like love, forgiveness, and being kind to each other.
“Abby and Holly: School Dance” is one of those books that will make children feel good about themselves. The lessons of friendship and kindness are nicely incorporated into a fun story, which will put a smile on children’s faces. Trouble. Solution. Sweet first love. Friendship. And kindness. All of these qualities are in one book for young readers to enjoy. Yes, Justine is bullied, but she has a strong group of friends behind her, which helps her to overcome the fear of bullies. And with the help of her friends, the bullies may change their attitude too.
I am delighted that this book carries strong messages about the importance of being compassionate, kind, loving and accepting. It teaches teens to remember how they would feel if their places were reversed. Another entertaining and teaching series for middle schoolers by Janice Spina!
* I received this book as a gift from the author and chose to review it without compensation.
December 24, 2019
Abby & Holly School Dance is part of a series, but it stands completely on its own. I didn’t read the other books in the series and that had no effect on the story, so don’t shy away because you haven’t read the other books. That said, I am now looking forward to finding Abby & Holly in Spina's other books.
It’s is an award winning work written by author Janice Spina that has all the components of the quintessential YA novel. It deals with middle school issues such as bullying, friendship, standing up against one’s peers, and ghosts! Well, there are no ghosts in reality, but it’s certainly a cool topic for people of all ages.
I got the book based on a friend’s recommendation because I have a 4th grade granddaughter and wanted to read it before giving it to her. I loved it and she loved it as well! Janice Spina is able to jump right into the mindset of a sixth grader and that’s one of the reasons why the book is exceptional! An enthusiastic 5 Stars!!!
It’s is an award winning work written by author Janice Spina that has all the components of the quintessential YA novel. It deals with middle school issues such as bullying, friendship, standing up against one’s peers, and ghosts! Well, there are no ghosts in reality, but it’s certainly a cool topic for people of all ages.
I got the book based on a friend’s recommendation because I have a 4th grade granddaughter and wanted to read it before giving it to her. I loved it and she loved it as well! Janice Spina is able to jump right into the mindset of a sixth grader and that’s one of the reasons why the book is exceptional! An enthusiastic 5 Stars!!!
September 24, 2018
Thrilled to see the girlfriends of Davey & Derek having their own adventures, too!! Abby & Holly were introduced in Book 5 of Davey & Derek Junior Detectives "The Case of the Sad Mischievous Ghost." Abby & Holly are 1st cousins. Their moms are sisters!
Abby's house is haunted & the resident ghost & Davey & Derek help the girls help Justine with her being bullied. It was pretty fun seeing the Ghost back again.
Love how Janice seems to pick up where she left off with book 5 of the boys' story. It was fun "watching" the kids get ready for their 6th grade dance, also! Such innocence..
It was a joy to read!!.
Abby's house is haunted & the resident ghost & Davey & Derek help the girls help Justine with her being bullied. It was pretty fun seeing the Ghost back again.
Love how Janice seems to pick up where she left off with book 5 of the boys' story. It was fun "watching" the kids get ready for their 6th grade dance, also! Such innocence..
It was a joy to read!!.
July 23, 2024
As an avid reader of children’s books, I love a story that brings a touch of magic to the real world. Abby & Holly’s School Dance features strong female characters navigating the choppy waters of 6th grade, with the help of telepathic twin boys and the advice of a good-natured ghost. The characters are fun, especially the twins, and there’s plenty of drama as they tackle a pair of bullies who are targeting a diabetic girl. I liked the way Abby and Holly decided to sort the problem out themselves rather than reporting the bullies to the grownups (unless you count the ghost!). This is an engaging story with a positive message about friendship and cooperation.
September 5, 2018
This book was a fun and entertaining read, with a great cast of characters, an interesting plot that moves at a nice pace, and a fantastic message to teach.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews