Children's Book Review

Henry of York and The Secret of Juan De Vega
by Kent Holsather
ISBN-10: 0972910115
Review by Heather Froeschl

13-year-old Henry Collin watches intently as two men argue with the old man who lives across the street. A short time later he finds himself helping the men to load a very heavy steamer trunk into their wagon. Seemingly the key witness to an undiscovered crime, Henry begins his investigation following the lead of his favorite crime solver, the hero in the detective books he reads.

Bringing on an unlikely partner, the privileged Sara Flint, Henry breaks into the old man’s house to search for clues to his disappearance. What they find is the mummified remains of a 300-year-old man, Juan De Vega. What could this man tell them if he could speak? And why did old man Bill have him stashed in his home?

Sara and Henry come to be close friends and soon find that they compliment each other’s qualities. While Sara is born to class and money she yearns for adventure and excitement. Henry has some fears to overcome and with Sara standing by him he finds the strength to face them. The partners in investigations quickly learn to trust each other. It is this trust that will ultimately save their lives as they learn of Juan De Vega’s secrets.

A treasure in itself, this book is highly recommended. The writing is well done, with dialogue naturally presented. With a bit heroism, childhood fantasy and a few lessons thrown in for good measure, the plot flows easily. An exciting and enthralling adventure story, Henry of York will please readers ages 10 and up, boys and girls alike.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gushing praise from this author:
A writer's ego can be like an egg in the hands of a running two year old; one minute you're feeling pretty good about your literary effort and in the next moment you're splattered on the floor of self doubt.

Writers reveal their souls to total stangers on a massive scale. They expose their bellies to friend and foe alike in the hope that they can survive whatever fate that might befall them.

Heather Froeschl has walked the writer's walk and knows the commitment that each person must make when they start a journey that 99% of the population might talk about but never complete. Her enthusiasm and expertise has sustained me through my first novel and into my second; I cannot thank her enough.

Kent Holsather
Bellingham, Washington
(Kent also writes for http://thecolumnists.com/)