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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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Hats Off Corner Welcomes Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson

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It’s great to be back and to kick off my return I’m welcoming Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson to the HATS OFF CORNER! 

Release date: DECEMBER 1, 2015
Delacorte Press/ Random House Kids Books
MIDDLE GRADE/ ages 10 and up
ISBN: 978-0-385-74471-3
Authors: Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson
Illustrator: Roman Muradov
Publicity Contact: Samuel Terris [email protected]

Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than

thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the

quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain

she’ll die of boredom. 

As if leaving Manhatten and her best friend,

Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad, weren’t bad

enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old

Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious

past. 

Before she can even unpack,

strange music coming

from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a

secret room, where she finds an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a curious portrait

of a red-haired lady. These seemingly unrelated items prove to be the first in

a series of clues that takes Fairday, the visiting Lizzy, and their new squad

member, Marcus, on an amazing adventure.


Can the members of the Detective Mystery Squad piece

together the puzzle before it’s too late? Or will whatever’s causing trouble

find Fairday and her friends first? 


Catch the Book Buzz. . .

“I really enjoyed this book. It was a marvelously

done, debut, thriller novel. Ms. Robinson and Ms. Haight are great authors that really

pull you into their story. I couldn’t get out until that final sentence. And, by then I

wanted more. To say I want a second book is an understatement. The writing style is

compelling, and makes me feel as if I was there with Fairday and her friends. I really

like the illustrations in the book. They are like the ribbon on a present, or the icing

on the cake. I give this book five out of five bookworms!”
~ Erik

Weibel/ This Kid Reviews Books  

“Mixing realism and

fantasy, Haight and Robinson’s debut opens with 11-year-old Fairday’s move from

Manhattan to a small town in Connecticut, where her relentlessly cheerful parents

plan to turn a dilapidated Victorian into a bed and breakfast. No sooner has the

family arrived than eerie sights and sounds begin to haunt Fairday. The house turns

out to hold dark secrets that everybody in town suspects but nobody can explain: a

perfect mission for Fairday and her best friend Lizzy’s Detective Mystery Squad

(DMS).”
~ Publishers Weekly

“Fifth-grader

Fairday Morrow’s new home lives up to its spooky reputation, but she and her

companions in the Detective Mystery Squad find out why. At Begonia House, strains

of bagpipe music issue from behind a padlocked door, grains of sand in an hourglass

have stopped falling, and a malevolent weeping willow looms in the backyard. A

magic mirror shows an invisible door; a wardrobe hides secrets and a portal. Ruby

Begonia vanished more than 50 years ago. Is there also a ghost? Fairday has a new,

helpful friend in classmate Marcus, and her best friend Lizzy can visit on weekends

to help solve the mystery. What more could readers want?”
~ Kirkus

Reviews



JessicaHaight is a true New Englander,

with a deep desire to be near the ocean and a

love of the four seasons. She enjoys drawing while standing up and cultivating

magic in her garden. She easily floats away in the pages of a good story and is

still waiting for her owl from Hogwarts.

StephanieRobinson lives with her husband in a quiet

town, though not as quaint as

Ashpot. After teaching fifth grade for almost fifteen years, she is now

enjoying her role as a school media specialist. 

Fairday’s

Blog

Fairdayfiles.com
@DMSfiles

Comments

  2. Hopefully, I will be allowed to comment this time. I know I wrote one of my amazingly thoughtful comments and hey presto, I couldn't publish it.

    This time, yes, this time I get to repeat myself and say yay to Stephanie and Jess! 🙂

    Gary, cautiously pressing publish…..

  6. Congrats to Jessica and Stephanie – they are both fantastic and i hope their novel does well. It sounds like loads of fun!

    Also, love your quote at the end. So very true. 🙂

    -Lauren

    • Medeia- We are so lucky that the blogging community has been helping us spread the word. Such amazing people! Thanks for all your support. 🙂 We hope you enjoy The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow when you read it. ~Stephanie and Jess

  21. Lee- We are glad you are feeling better. Thanks so much for having us on your blog. It is so much fun to catch up with your readers and we really appreciate all your support. 🙂 ~Jess and Stephanie

    • Chrys- Awww! What a wonderful comment. Glad to see you on another one of our stops and thanks for all the kind words. 🙂 ~Jess and Stephanie

    • Beverly- Thanks for visiting us here too. You did an amazing job on your post! The shoes are there in spirit. 🙂 ~Jess and Stephanie

  29. Yay for Jess and Steph! They worked a long time for this and I'm so happy to see them everywhere! Great deal on the 50% off on your book. I'll tweet you when I can. Have a great week! 🙂