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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SFC 4 star review, March 18, 2008
This review is from: The Holmes And Watson Mysterious Events And Objects Consortium: The Case Of The Witch's Talisman (Paperback)
Kevin is best friends with a girl named Ginny and because of this friendship finds himself being bullied by one of his classmates, Daniel and his buddies. Kevin doesn't really care too much what the other boys think of his friendship with Ginny. After all he has more fun hanging out with her than playing sports which is just isn't good at. Also, Kevin and Ginny always seem to find odd mysteries to solve. That is how their club The Holmes and Watson Mysterious Events and Objects Consortium began.
This summer Kevin and Ginny did what they did ever summer . . . explore Sharper's Woods, but little did they know they would find themselves in one of the biggest mysterious of their lives. From disappearing animals to Daniel and his buddies being turned into zombies or worst, having their life forces sucked out. The only clue Kevin and Ginny have is an odd looking round metal object. But could this have anything to do with what's going on? Kevin and Ginny aren't sure. They did find the strange round metal object some time ago. Kevin and Ginny notice the strange object does seem to shine more than it use to and that it seems to have a draw they never noticed before.
Elmore Hammes has done a wonderful job bring mystery and suspense to a story about two friends learning to over come changes, bullying, and just growing up in general. Children will delight in learning that boys and girls can be friends, some times we get bullied because others wish they could be more like us, and that sometimes strange object are better left alone.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Despite the brief moment of terror, this is nearly every child's fantasy, to experience real magic at least once, February 1, 2008
This review is from: The Holmes And Watson Mysterious Events And Objects Consortium: The Case Of The Witch's Talisman (Paperback)
Kevin Williams and Ginny Davis are the best of friends. They hang out all the time and their favorite activity is sitting in their clubhouse and discussing the adventures of The Holmes and Watson Mysterious Events and Object Consortium, a club with only two members. They also explore Sharper's Woods and they have found many interesting things in the woods and the creek that runs through it.
Unknown to them, an object they discovered in the water is a powerful talisman that a local witch, formerly known as The Witch of Heitzenberg, has been searching for. Many years before, the witch had been rendered dormant in a battle with a powerful wizard named Gavin. Unfortunately, Gavin was forced into the spirit world and the witch is regaining her power. She gathers sustenance by taking the spirits of animals and people and she senses the local presence of the talisman.
This launches Kevin and Ginny into a great adventure, as they are joined by Mrs. Crabapple, a gypsy woman who is in contact with the spirit of Gavin, but Mrs. Crabapple has very little in the way of magical powers. Gavin's spirit can do nothing to aid in the coming battle with the witch. As their adventure unravels, Kevin and Ginny begin to feel the stirrings of emotions, as they are close to the age where ones thoughts start down the boyfriend/girlfriend path.
This is a children's adventure that combines intelligent children, best friends and a bit of the occult. While the occult aspects are necessary to the story, a great deal revolves around the friends of our youth, when the world was a magical place and somehow we grow out of it and away from those friends. Despite the brief period of terror, the adventures of Kevin and Ginny are a typical fantasy as every child wants to experience real magic at least once.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The kind of book I would have snatched off the shelf when I was a kid, November 27, 2007
This review is from: The Holmes And Watson Mysterious Events And Objects Consortium: The Case Of The Witch's Talisman (Paperback)
As a kid, I was totally hooked on The Three Investigators mysteries, and that has left me with a life-long love for books about young mystery solvers. That is what attracted me to this book - but there's more than a great mystery at the heart of Elmore Hammes' story, for The Holmes and Watson Mysterious Events and Objects Consortium is as much about childhood as it is sleuthing. Best friends Kevin and Ginny stand at the cusp of adolescence, but with their natural childhood curiosity still perfectly intact. Emulating the veritable Holmes and Watson, they are ever on the lookout for mysterious events or objects. This particular summertime adventure begins with a dead squirrel, which doesn't seem all that unusual, even after it disappears while they are off hunting a box to bury it in; soon thereafter, though, the kids come across a dead rabbit, and it essentially disappears under their very noses as they carry it off for a burial in nearby Sharper's Woods. That's when they know something weird is definitely going on.
What the kids do not realize is that they are about to find themselves in between an ancient witch and the talisman that holds the key to her powers, and that's not a good place to be. Kevin has had to deal with some bullying from the other kids and has even been compelled to run for his life from his neighbor Daniel's large dog, but that's nothing compared to a vindictive old bat whose evil is just waking up from a centuries-long sleep. And the threat is not limited to Kevin and Ginny, either, for Daniel and some of his friends become pawns in the witch's dangerous game. Fortunately, our two young heroes in training have some helpful reference materials on hand in their clubhouse and the assistance of an old gypsy woman intent on keeping the witch from regaining her powers. Events - and the witch - conspire to give the reader one hootenanny of an ending, which is heavy on the action and suspense.
This is certainly an interesting and worthwhile read for youngsters - and a book that parents can enjoy sharing with their children, as well. I enjoyed reading it just for myself, and my childhood days are long behind me now. Yes, it does have a witch in it, so I suppose a few loons out there might object to it, but the novel reinforces a number of positive, important lessons. Every youngster (heck, even every adult) should be as naturally curious as these youngsters are about the world around them. Kevin and Ginny also offer a great example of the meaning and value of true friendship, while the author goes on to show that there is some good in just about everyone (except the witch, of course). In this fictional world, even bullies and their victims can become friends. With books like this on the market, it's hard to see how any child can claim that reading is not fun.
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