Wolf Moon: The House on Bloom Street

Wolf Moon #1

by Ceeley Mack

Ghosts. Werewolves. Witches. Wendigos. Oh, my! Robbie just wanted to be like everyone else, but using forbidden spells is well... forbidden. Now he and his sister have to spend the summer with their estranged father. It's supposed to be a punishment, but it might be the only place Robbie can reinvent himself. Robbie has secrets, and it isn't just because he's transgender. If his new friends learn about the real Robbie, it could hurt more than his newfound happiness. It could be disastrous for his whole family. Will his new friends accept him, or will a haunted house destroy everything?

Genres: Middle Grade, LGBT, Fantasy, Transgender, Queer

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2020

About the author

Ceeley Mack is originally from West Virginia and currently resides in Maryland with his family. He is an independent author of spooky fiction for reluctant readers. His stories are for people short on time or attention span.

Reviews

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rep: trans mc

[Phoenix (Books with Wings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(3.9) I thought that this book was a very good middle-grade book! It had a very good balance of paranormal (magic and ghosts and wendigos) and real-life problems, as the main character is struggling to feel accepted as he's transgender. The book follows the main character, Robbie, as he moves to his father's house for the summer (though he fears that it may be for longer), makes new friends and encounters a haunted house in which resides a creature that might be out to get him and his new friends...plus, Robbie's afraid that if he reveals that he is trans to his new friends that everything will go back to being like how it was before he left for his father's house. But even this does not seem like the biggest problem right now. Because can Robbie and his new friends survive the encounter with the creature that seems to be more and more frightening each time they meet it?

[Martina Weiß · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, when you start reading a book, you can already tell, that you are going to have a good time. Just like I did with this book! ♥

One of the only complaints I have - yes we are starting with the bad stuff - is, that I'm sure the book could have been longer. I haven't read book 2 yet, but from the sneak peak we got at the end of one, it kinda reads like it could have been easily been added to the first one. I'm sure it would have made the book even better.
But even without it, I still like the ending as it is just fine.

OK, anyways, why am I giving this 5 stars? Well, because it's doing everything write.
Amazing charachters? Check
Great relationships? Check
Great story? Check
Amazing worldbuilding? Check
Makes you unable to stop turning the page? DOUBLE CHECK

I don't know if it was the writing style, or the way the story was told, I just know, that the mystery and the excitment of what was going to happen next kept me hooked from almost the very first line. It helped that Robbie was such a great character. I could understand why he did what he did, I could relate to him, I could empathize with his wants. There is so much more to this story, that is only hinted at that I wish we would have talked about, but I also understand, that it was left open so we could tackle this stuff i the sequel. This kind of stuff has to do with the Dad, his backstory but also the stuff he is up to now. With Grayson, who I trust but also don't trust. With the town, with the worldbuilding. There is just so much interesting stuff happening that might or might not have anything to do with the base plot. Which - by the way - is pretty straight forward and simple and yet just really great. The side characters do help in making this so much richer too.
There is also really great trans-rep, which is just the cherry on top.

To summ it up: I can't wait to read the sequel.

[SHA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything; magic, ghosts, shifters, haunted house, dogs, werewolves, book of spells. It was so entertaining. Two kids are visiting their father. One of the children is curious about the surroundings and eventually meets other children in the neighborhood. What follows is quite an adventure. I would highly recommend this book.

[Angi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars

[M.Landi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this little book.
So many sweet, funny and action packed moments - only wish I had something like this to read when I was 11.
- It was also REALLY authentic.
The transgender voice of the protagonist is so believable - and written so uniquely through the eyes of the kid (ofc because the author is trans) It's a good feeling really, more and more trans kids are coming out earlier these days, and I've a feeling a lot of them are gonna like this book. We need more trans MCs!!
Favourite quote:
"Bright lights sparked before my eyes like I was seeing the fabric of the universe. It was beautiful, but the world hurt too much to appreciate it"

Now for the supernatural part - this was really fun!
(spoilers below)
A boy that's also a dog!?? Every kids dream. Including mine.
Elk king!? Pretty cool, and good antagonist

All in all, 5 stars cause it's a good book from an lgbt indie author!