Ghosts of Belle Isle (The Virginia Mysteries) Paperback – October 9, 2014

I absolutely loved it! Another excellent Virginia mysteries! This is a must read series! I can’t wait for the next book!

Edit:Problem has been solved.I bought this for my son as he had read the first two books in the series. They are a great series but there has been a printing mishap with book 3 Ghosts of Belle Isle and the inside of the book is a romance novel (the hot and steamy kind). We lucked out and my son noticed how the book was weird and started on page 99 (the whole book is a mess) and so I skimmed through it to figure out what was going on. Cover and title page are of Ghosts of Belle Isle but where the story is supposed to start, it starts on pg 99 and everything inside is a book by Lynn Raye Harris called HOT Mess.

I'm really enjoying this historical series for young teens. The book has a great premise of 2 Brothers with parents that love history and travel which is included in the boys adventure. I'm still reading book 3, so can't give away the story:) Every adventure mixes in typical children antics, so I can imagine kids liking those details. Every adventure involves a part of American history including cultural details that are fun to know & learn. I'm middle aged, enjoy light reading to unwind after work & am enjoying it very much. I plan to donate the books to my niece . This series should be in every library!

A new mystery by Steven K. Smith, and already I am intrigued. A ghost story. I love ghost stories, especially those involving pre-teens and teens.Sam and Derek are brothers, and in this novel their parents are flying off to Paris and leaving them with a babysitter, a college girl named Meghan, who is also their cousin. Meghan meets the boys and says to Derek, “Last time I saw you I think you were in kindergarten,” and Sam says, “Don’t worry. He still acts the same.” Brothers. Mine used to tell me that our mother was calling me, and I would say, “No, she isn’t,” and he would reply, “Then go tell her to.”I just love the interactions between the two brothers. They remind me of my growing with two brothers and two sisters, which I hated at the time. And Meghan reminds me of my step-dad’s niece who came to visit, not to baby-sit us, but just to eat my mother’s homemade no bake fudge cookies, which I hid the next time she visited. I have never wondered what happened to her when I grew up.What happens next in this story? The boys tell a neighbor that they are going to go bike riding at Belle Isle, and the neighbor warns them of ghosts. Maybe confederate ghosts, or union or both. I know a woman that was parked at an intersection waiting to go across the street in her car, and right before her eyes she saw some Confederate soldiers crossing the street and then disappearing like vapor, so I believe in ghosts. Maybe they will too before the end of this book.They learn that there is a long list of things that they are going to do for fun while their parents are away, but when they find out that Meghan is more interested in her boyfriend than she is them, Sam looks over at his older brother Derek and says, “I don’t have a good feeling about her,” and I think, “No, this is great!They will hang out on Belle Isle every day instead of doing the other things on their list. And then they will solve the mystery of the ghosts that live there.” Maybe. Then Derek says, “This is going to be great?” I like Derek, we think alike. Freedom. That is how it should be. My own sister, when babysitting us kids, would just tell us to go out and play, and that we did. She would add, “Just come home for dinner,” as if I knew what time it because I didn’t own a watch.So now the boys are on Belle Isle exploring an old hydro electric plant that is well hidden in the trees, and then he remembers how their neighbor also told them that he had lost his friend on that Isle. Never to be seen again. Ghosts? And what are those floating lights that their neighbor saw that looked like faces of Union soldiers who died in the prison camp there? Maybe they were just will ‘o the wisps. Maybe not.

If you haven't discovered Steven K. Smith as an author yet, you are in for a delightful experience. He won the Virginia author award in 2018 and is an eager supporter of school reading programs. He has three series, the first being about two brothers who have adventures in historical Virginia locations, of which this book is one. The pace is excellent, the books aren't overly long, and the adventures are believable. And these books aren't just for kids in Virginia. People are traveling from all over the US to follow the books' locations. A great read you don't want to miss.

My sons absolutely love this series. Great reading for kids (especially boys) who are into reading easy chapter books. Great adventures and history. Highly recommend!My eight-year-old son wrote the following review: I liked this book. I have a lot in common with Sam (the youngest Jackson brother). We both like history and in this book we got to learn about the Civil War. This book was a little different from the first two because the Jackson brothers didn't make a "great discovery," but it was still really good because they did learn something. As usual, Derek found trouble and got himself in a dangerous situation. I really liked the end but I don't want to give it away. Also, the brothers played baseball in this book and I love baseball! Out of 10 stars, I would give this book 100 stars and a thumbs up! JT

My 9 1/2 year old daughter has fallen in love with this series. She has very much enjoyed the 2 previous books and has just finished Ghosts of Bell Isle. As soon as she finishes a book we immediately download the next one to continue the adventures of the 2 main characters. Derek and Sam. I have also enjoyed reading the series. If you or your child likes adventure and mystery this book is excellent. My daughter likes that it is set in "now time" they have cell phones, computers, etc, but the mysteries are historical based. It is a fun and entertaing story with history interwoven through each book. Boys and girls would enjoy this series.

Since book #1 my son has not been able to put this series down. He loves the adventure and finishes each chapter and comes to tell me about it. His 4th grade teacher told him to read more books with better story lines then the usual anime books his age is drawn to. He is excited about this series.