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The Alex and Jackie Adventures #1
First Night
Alexandra O'Rourke, aged 16, is not a happy camper. It's New Year's Eve. She should be partying in San Diego with her friends, but instead she is stuck in Boston, with just her younger sister, Jackie, for company. As if that wasn't bad enough, she is being haunted by Sarah, the ghost of a seventeenth century Puritan. Oh, and there is the small matter of the charge of witchcraft to be sorted out. Armed only with big shiny buttons and a helping of Boston Cream Pie, the sisters set out to restore the Natural Order. Can Alex solve the mystery of the Devil's Book? Can Jackie help Sarah beat the sorcery rap? And can they do it before the fireworks display at midnight? Because this is First Night - and this is an Alex and Jackie Adventure.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 2, 2008
9 people want to read
About the author
Tom Weston
14 books5 followersOriginally from England, Tom Weston now resides in Boston, Massachusetts. His works include the novel, Fission, based on the true story of Lise Meitner, the fantasy based, Alex and Jackie Adventures, and the collection of short stories, Tales from the Green Dragon Tavern.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 7, 2009
First Night
BY: Tom Weston
PUBLISHED BY: tom weston media
PUBLISHED IN: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-981-94130-1
Pages: 253
Ages: Teen & Up
Reviewed by Billy Burgess
Author Tom Weston brings us an old fashioned ghost tale in First Night. The story begins with Sarah Pemberton who has caught the small pox. A family friend, Captain John Ayres, gives her an ivory bracelet to wear. Sarah dies.
The story skips to the present day. Alexandra O’Rourke and her younger sister, Jackie, are spending their New Year’s Eve with their aunt and uncle in Boston. They’re California girls and rather be home partying than spending their vacation in Boston.
Their aunt and uncle let them go out on their own and explore Boston. They come across a teenager wearing a 1600’s dress. Her name is Sarah Pemberton. The same Sarah who died many years ago of small pox. The Court of Spirits have accused her of being a witch and release her into our world to find a lawyer.
Alexandra and Jackie think nothing of it because they’re in the historical part of Boston. They change their minds when Sarah runs through Alex.
With time running out, Sarah takes Jackie back to the Court of Spirits to help defend her soul. Alexandra stays behind and searches for the Devil’s Book.
Tom Weston has written a fun, original novel while blending in some historical facts and locations about Boston. Alexandra and Jackie are believable teenage characters with cleverly written dialogue. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story.
BY: Tom Weston
PUBLISHED BY: tom weston media
PUBLISHED IN: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-981-94130-1
Pages: 253
Ages: Teen & Up
Reviewed by Billy Burgess
Author Tom Weston brings us an old fashioned ghost tale in First Night. The story begins with Sarah Pemberton who has caught the small pox. A family friend, Captain John Ayres, gives her an ivory bracelet to wear. Sarah dies.
The story skips to the present day. Alexandra O’Rourke and her younger sister, Jackie, are spending their New Year’s Eve with their aunt and uncle in Boston. They’re California girls and rather be home partying than spending their vacation in Boston.
Their aunt and uncle let them go out on their own and explore Boston. They come across a teenager wearing a 1600’s dress. Her name is Sarah Pemberton. The same Sarah who died many years ago of small pox. The Court of Spirits have accused her of being a witch and release her into our world to find a lawyer.
Alexandra and Jackie think nothing of it because they’re in the historical part of Boston. They change their minds when Sarah runs through Alex.
With time running out, Sarah takes Jackie back to the Court of Spirits to help defend her soul. Alexandra stays behind and searches for the Devil’s Book.
Tom Weston has written a fun, original novel while blending in some historical facts and locations about Boston. Alexandra and Jackie are believable teenage characters with cleverly written dialogue. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story.
July 22, 2009
FIRST NIGHT by Tom Weston is a strange and oddly fascinating mix of humor, mystery, adventure, and paranormal. Without wonderful descriptions of Boston that only a true observer could write, Weston instills his love of the area and the First Night festivities into the story making it come to life. With a good deal of fun and the perfect amount of adventure, FIRST NIGHT was a pleasure to read and a book that I know I'll be going back to.
If you've ever been to a First Night festival, you'll know all about the fun and festivities that surround the celebration. For those that haven't experienced this joy, First Night takes place on New Year's Eve in many cities but most famously in Boston. Party goers receive a First Night button that gets them in to the events attractions where they can party the day and night away. For Jackie and Alex, First Night is both a blessing and a curse.
Jackie is thrilled to be visiting her aunt and uncle. The sisters are given the entire day to wander the city on their own and Jackie can hardly contain herself at the possibilities this entails. Her older sister Alex, however, would much rather wait out the day in the car while her aunt and uncle finish up their work. Where Jackie is outgoing, Alex is more quiet and subdued. It'll take a miracle, or maybe a walking dead girl to get this teen excited about something.
Sarah Pemberton is just your average Puritan girl. Only problem is that she's walking around Boston 300 years after her death. When her spirit is woken and brought to the Court of the Spirits, a charge of witchcraft against her might mean the difference between returning to a restful eternity of peace or eternal fire and fury for her soul. Allowed time to find an advocate for her defense, Sarah is set free on modern day Boston. As fate, and some great writing would have it, Sarah runs right into, or should I say through, Jackie and Alex. What follows are pages and pages of a unique story full of mystery, humor andcuriosity.
I found FIRST NIGHT to be quite an enjoyable read. This is the kind of book that I would return to when I wanted something lighter and fun but still with a note of authenticity in it. The part that really sold me on FIRST NIGHT was the obvious research that went into the writing. Both the historical pieces and the modern pieces were described in great detail. The events and locations were as authentic as the author could make them and this aided the story. I think I expected a little less of the book, especially the historical sections but found myself pleasantly surprised (which has been happening more and more). Instead of racing through the historical sections and making up details to get on to the modern story, it seems that Weston spent a good deal of time developing both time frames.
As is often the case with a book I like, the characters were another great aspect. I found the characters to be well developed and complex. Jack and Alex, the two blond sisters, could have easily become two identical puppets with different names simply to separate the dialogue. Instead, it is obvious that the two characters are two unique individuals. Each has their own personality and Weston's attention to detail ensure that these personalities come to life. My favorite character was, however, Sarah. How could one not love her! In my opinion Sarah provides the majority of the humor in the book either by her words or her actions. Weston does a great job of maintaining Sarah's historical nature even when the rest of his world is set in modern times.
The scores are in! Based on my rating scale, FIRST NIGHT is a book that you are really going to want to read. It seems to have something for everyone including a great series of plot twists and turns. The only thing I would have loved more was a little smoother flow. The story was fantastic and the characters well developed, but occasionally the words wouldn't travel across the page as easily as my eyes wanted. Regardless, I did read the story and I wouldn't be hear recommending it right now if it wasn't good.
If you've ever been to a First Night festival, you'll know all about the fun and festivities that surround the celebration. For those that haven't experienced this joy, First Night takes place on New Year's Eve in many cities but most famously in Boston. Party goers receive a First Night button that gets them in to the events attractions where they can party the day and night away. For Jackie and Alex, First Night is both a blessing and a curse.
Jackie is thrilled to be visiting her aunt and uncle. The sisters are given the entire day to wander the city on their own and Jackie can hardly contain herself at the possibilities this entails. Her older sister Alex, however, would much rather wait out the day in the car while her aunt and uncle finish up their work. Where Jackie is outgoing, Alex is more quiet and subdued. It'll take a miracle, or maybe a walking dead girl to get this teen excited about something.
Sarah Pemberton is just your average Puritan girl. Only problem is that she's walking around Boston 300 years after her death. When her spirit is woken and brought to the Court of the Spirits, a charge of witchcraft against her might mean the difference between returning to a restful eternity of peace or eternal fire and fury for her soul. Allowed time to find an advocate for her defense, Sarah is set free on modern day Boston. As fate, and some great writing would have it, Sarah runs right into, or should I say through, Jackie and Alex. What follows are pages and pages of a unique story full of mystery, humor andcuriosity.
I found FIRST NIGHT to be quite an enjoyable read. This is the kind of book that I would return to when I wanted something lighter and fun but still with a note of authenticity in it. The part that really sold me on FIRST NIGHT was the obvious research that went into the writing. Both the historical pieces and the modern pieces were described in great detail. The events and locations were as authentic as the author could make them and this aided the story. I think I expected a little less of the book, especially the historical sections but found myself pleasantly surprised (which has been happening more and more). Instead of racing through the historical sections and making up details to get on to the modern story, it seems that Weston spent a good deal of time developing both time frames.
As is often the case with a book I like, the characters were another great aspect. I found the characters to be well developed and complex. Jack and Alex, the two blond sisters, could have easily become two identical puppets with different names simply to separate the dialogue. Instead, it is obvious that the two characters are two unique individuals. Each has their own personality and Weston's attention to detail ensure that these personalities come to life. My favorite character was, however, Sarah. How could one not love her! In my opinion Sarah provides the majority of the humor in the book either by her words or her actions. Weston does a great job of maintaining Sarah's historical nature even when the rest of his world is set in modern times.
The scores are in! Based on my rating scale, FIRST NIGHT is a book that you are really going to want to read. It seems to have something for everyone including a great series of plot twists and turns. The only thing I would have loved more was a little smoother flow. The story was fantastic and the characters well developed, but occasionally the words wouldn't travel across the page as easily as my eyes wanted. Regardless, I did read the story and I wouldn't be hear recommending it right now if it wasn't good.
August 23, 2009
On New Year's Eve in 1688, a curious young Puritan girl died of smallpox in Boston. Over three hundred years later, sisters Alex and Jackie O'Rourke join their Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim for First Night in Boston.
When Sarah Pemberton's ghost appears and asks Alex and Jackie to help her defeat charges of witchcraft brought against her, the sisters' night takes a turn that brings them through Boston's rich history. Can they help Sarah and still have enough time to meet back up with Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim?
In this mysterious and exciting story, author Tom Weston has created a cast of engaging characters that teenagers will easily relate to. California blondes, Alex and Jackie each have their strong points and flaws, but overall they are charming young women caught up in helping Sarah, who has been charged with witchcraft and sharing the Devil's Book.
Jackie is chosen as Sarah's advocate, and travels back in time to defend her before three magistrates. Other characters we meet are Sarah's parents, Hannah and Thomas, who are forced to testify against their daughter, and Captain Ayres, a friend of the Pemberton family. Captain Ayers gave Sarah an Inuit bracelet right before her death in 1688.
"First Night's" strength is definitely its characters, I just wish the all-knowing narrator would have allowed them to carry more of the story. Instead of having Alex and Jackie experience Boston's history, much that is revealed about the area is discussed by the narrator; and in the first chapter, which is about Sarah's death, the narrator intrudes with future events and plagues that the characters would have no knowledge of.
Though a lover of history and a life-long resident of Massachusetts, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of historical detail. Does the reader truly need to know the entire history of a building or location in order to enjoy a story?
The best parts of "First Night", and those that kept this reader turning the pages, were those places where Sarah, Alex and Jackie moved the story along. And the ending was superbly done and satisfying.
"First Night" by Tom Weston is a fun ghost story that many readers will enjoy.
When Sarah Pemberton's ghost appears and asks Alex and Jackie to help her defeat charges of witchcraft brought against her, the sisters' night takes a turn that brings them through Boston's rich history. Can they help Sarah and still have enough time to meet back up with Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim?
In this mysterious and exciting story, author Tom Weston has created a cast of engaging characters that teenagers will easily relate to. California blondes, Alex and Jackie each have their strong points and flaws, but overall they are charming young women caught up in helping Sarah, who has been charged with witchcraft and sharing the Devil's Book.
Jackie is chosen as Sarah's advocate, and travels back in time to defend her before three magistrates. Other characters we meet are Sarah's parents, Hannah and Thomas, who are forced to testify against their daughter, and Captain Ayres, a friend of the Pemberton family. Captain Ayers gave Sarah an Inuit bracelet right before her death in 1688.
"First Night's" strength is definitely its characters, I just wish the all-knowing narrator would have allowed them to carry more of the story. Instead of having Alex and Jackie experience Boston's history, much that is revealed about the area is discussed by the narrator; and in the first chapter, which is about Sarah's death, the narrator intrudes with future events and plagues that the characters would have no knowledge of.
Though a lover of history and a life-long resident of Massachusetts, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of historical detail. Does the reader truly need to know the entire history of a building or location in order to enjoy a story?
The best parts of "First Night", and those that kept this reader turning the pages, were those places where Sarah, Alex and Jackie moved the story along. And the ending was superbly done and satisfying.
"First Night" by Tom Weston is a fun ghost story that many readers will enjoy.
August 23, 2009
History comes to life in Tom Weston's "First Night." San Diego sisters Alex and Jackie O'Rourke are stuck in Boston with their aunt and uncle for New Year's while their parents are off on a cruise. Alex, 16, is not happy about it, while Jackie, 14, is trying to have a good time. Their world collides with Sarah Pemberton's, a seventeenth century ghost accused of being a witch, rejecting the Kingdom of Heaven and challenging the Natural Order.
Sarah comes before the court of Magistrates to address the charges against her and requests the help of an advocate. The court grants her request and she finds herself in the Boston of today trying to find an advocate and to make sense of all the changes made to the city since she last saw it, about 300 years earlier. She literally runs into Alex and the O'Rourke sisters decide to help her, with Jackie as Sarah's advocate.
The girls make their way around Boston, searching for clues in their quest to refute the charges against Sarah. But time is running out because it's First Night in Boston and Sarah must appear before the Magistrates again before the night is over while Alex and Jackie need to join their aunt and uncle in New Year's Eve festivities. It takes all of Alex's wits to make sense of events and orchestrate a happy ending for all.
This is a fun Alex and Jackie Adventure. I felt both girls were likable as was Sarah Pemberton. Author Weston's resolution was inventive and warm-hearted. Writings from the seventeenth century are used by Weston to begin each chapter and he also includes photos of Boston throughout the book. I would like to read more Alex and Jackie Adventures from Weston.
Sarah comes before the court of Magistrates to address the charges against her and requests the help of an advocate. The court grants her request and she finds herself in the Boston of today trying to find an advocate and to make sense of all the changes made to the city since she last saw it, about 300 years earlier. She literally runs into Alex and the O'Rourke sisters decide to help her, with Jackie as Sarah's advocate.
The girls make their way around Boston, searching for clues in their quest to refute the charges against Sarah. But time is running out because it's First Night in Boston and Sarah must appear before the Magistrates again before the night is over while Alex and Jackie need to join their aunt and uncle in New Year's Eve festivities. It takes all of Alex's wits to make sense of events and orchestrate a happy ending for all.
This is a fun Alex and Jackie Adventure. I felt both girls were likable as was Sarah Pemberton. Author Weston's resolution was inventive and warm-hearted. Writings from the seventeenth century are used by Weston to begin each chapter and he also includes photos of Boston throughout the book. I would like to read more Alex and Jackie Adventures from Weston.
August 23, 2009
Before reading First Night, I had never heard of the First Night festival before. Never being to Boston before (or anywhere remotely near there), I’ve missed out on what seems to be great fun. For those of you who, like me prior to reading this book, have never been to this festival, it takes place on New Year’s Eve in several places, but Boston celebrates it on a higher scale, much like how Mardi Gras is celebrated most famously in New Orleans.
I found that I was pleasantly satisfied with First Night. It was a fun and lighter read, which I expected, but you can also tell that Weston put a lot of effort into his research. Everything was described with lots of detail, and the modern and historical aspects were meshed well together. Weston spent time developing the time frames, and the characters as well. Jackie and Alex, the two sisters in the story, were really well-developed and unique characters. Which is nice, because I didn’t have to spend time trying to distinguish one from the other. Sarah, the Puritan ghost, provides a lot of the humor through her words and even her actions, which made reading this book fun.
Rating: 4/5 stars.
Look for Weston’s next Jackie & Alex adventure, The Elf of Luxembourg.
I found that I was pleasantly satisfied with First Night. It was a fun and lighter read, which I expected, but you can also tell that Weston put a lot of effort into his research. Everything was described with lots of detail, and the modern and historical aspects were meshed well together. Weston spent time developing the time frames, and the characters as well. Jackie and Alex, the two sisters in the story, were really well-developed and unique characters. Which is nice, because I didn’t have to spend time trying to distinguish one from the other. Sarah, the Puritan ghost, provides a lot of the humor through her words and even her actions, which made reading this book fun.
Rating: 4/5 stars.
Look for Weston’s next Jackie & Alex adventure, The Elf of Luxembourg.
July 26, 2009
This was a cute story. I really liked the characters. I found a little bit of myself in both Alex and Jackie--at times I can be moody like Alex and other times I can be outgoing like Jackie. And I really liked the character of Sarah--I felt for her. And it was fun to read about Sarah not understanding the culture of today. While you are reading it, you can tell that the book was very well researched. I think people from Boston would definitely enjoy the book. I think there might have been a little too much history involved for me, as I found myself spacing out during some of it. And I had a hard time following the end--what happened to Sarah and why, but overall I enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews