Maureen HardegreeReseñas

"For this full book I give it 3.4 out of 5 stars, each story was charming in its own way. I enjoyed the glimpses that we got of all the characters ... just some stories I wish were fleshed out a little more than others. Overall, I definitely recommend this anthology to any romance reader, especially for those who want to get into the "St. Patrick's Day spirit." "

Read more of this review, individual reviews for each story, and THREE TEASERS here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2020/02/made-grade-tiny-treats-2-st-p...

This is more of a 2.5 stars.

Heather can see ghosts. Her best friend Xavier knows this, and he also knows she's never seen his little brother, who died at aged 10. Until one day, Heather sees Stevie, and, like all little pest brothers, who won't leave until Heather makes sure Xavier is happy. By dating him. This book was cute and light, and it made me curious to read more in this series. (Provided by publisher)

✭✭✭

I'm a big fan of ghost stories (that don't freak me out too much), and Haint Misbehavin' is a fun one for the middle grade audience. Set in Georgia, there's enough flavor of the South to lend an air of plausibility that the ghost of a young girl from the 1800s would haunt Heather, a modern preteen girl.

While I enjoyed the ghost story, I felt enough rage about the unfair treatment Heather got from her parents and the nasty vendetta of her sister that I couldn't rate it higher.

It's a personal pet peeve, but I abhor books or movies that show unfair relationships toward one child with blatant favoritism of another. While the family relationships resolve and are all hunky-dory by the end, there is enough of a bias against Heather that I couldn't relax while reading most of the book. I wanted to jump into the story so I could throttle her older sister. I can't imagine anyone being that cruel to a sibling and their parents turning a blind eye, unless it was a Cinderella situation with the rest of the family being evil. But that's not how this family is portrayed. Were it not for the sibling injustice, they'd be an average American family.

Otherwise, it's an enjoyable story and I look forward to the next book, especially since the sibling rivalry won't be much of an issue in later books. I honestly hope my assessment doesn't prevent people from reading Haint Misbehavin', since it does have a fun ghost story, but as Ames would say, this is a borrow and not a buy.

The next book in the series, Hainted Love, just released in March. By the way, the cover of the second book is much better and will appeal a lot more to preteen girls.

Review originally posted at Libri Ago.

Advance copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I received this book free from Pocket Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any form of compensation.

Haint She Sweet is basically about a teenage girl who has the ability to see spirits and assist them in passing over to the other side. In the southern US, these restless spirits are called haints. Of course, the haints that Heather deals with make her life a living hell. They cause her all kinds of grief. And as you can imagine, being a freshman in high school that is no easy task.

This was unfortunately the first in the series that I had read. I say unfortunately only because I now really want to read the first three books. I really enjoyed this one. I was able to follow along even though I had missed out on the first three. However, there were a few situations that I really would have loved to know the back story on even though it wasn't really necessary for this story at all.

The haint that is bothering Heather in Haint She Sweet is a lunch-lady who wants to change the way the kids at school eat. She does everything she can to get Heather to change her own eating habits and to get Heather to jump on the healthy bandwagon with her.

I loved the great characters that were created. I could picture them all sitting around the cafeteria or in the classes. And of course, there were people when I went to high school that were very similar to the ones in this book. Thankfully, the popular girls in my school were never what you would consider a mean girl. I just wish that the haint had done much worse to Karen. She really did deserve it.

There were a few other haints hanging around the school as well. However as a ghost handler, you can only take on one haint at a time. So I am sure that we will see a story about the goth girl in the bathroom, the service station guy in the hall or the boy hanging on the climbing rope in gym class. I can't wait to find out what their story is and see how Heather is going to help them.

Interestingly enough, the author Maureen Hardegree has some assignments on her website for middle school students who choose to read this series or who are assigned to read it in class. Plus she has a list of other books that she has written. I plan on checking out more of her writing since this was the first book that I have ever read by her.

I thought this was a cute book about a girl that just can't catch a break, and ends up even worse off when she realizes that she can see ghosts, and one ghost in particular isn't about to let her catch a break either.I really liked Heather, the main character and I really couldn't help but feeling for her character as she suffered through all of the trouble her sister put her through, not to mention her sister's friends. She really has a tough time. She just can't win and if you're a young girl reading this book, you'd probably fall in love with her right away because I'm sure you can find qualities of yourself in Heather. She's just a normal girl, well a girl that can see ghosts. And that certainly complicates matters. Audrey, Heather's older sister made me despise her instantly and I kept waiting for her time to come, where something would happen to her that would put her in her place, but sadly nothing really did happen. Nothing big, or nothing punishing enough, at least in my opinion. One aspect that I found a bit strange was how Heather received knowing that Amy, the girl she saw around her father's grapes was in fact a ghost. It seemed to go too smoothly. I'm not sure that someone that hasn't seen a ghost before or interacted with a ghost before, especially a teenager, could take to knowing the girl she's conversing with is indeed a ghost. However, things seem to get better for Heather and she does get better at interacting with Amy and working to try and help her. At first it's just her being annoyed and frustrated and wanting nothing more to do with her ghost pal because hey, she's a teen on summer vacation. Of course she has better things to do.I'm interested in reading the second book in this series because it was a fun, light read. I would like to know where Heather goes next with her abilities, not to mention what happens to her next.

I thought this was a cute book about a girl that just can't catch a break, and ends up even worse off when she realizes that she can see ghosts, and one ghost in particular isn't about to let her catch a break either.I really liked Heather, the main character and I really couldn't help but feeling for her character as she suffered through all of the trouble her sister put her through, not to mention her sister's friends. She really has a tough time. She just can't win and if you're a young girl reading this book, you'd probably fall in love with her right away because I'm sure you can find qualities of yourself in Heather. She's just a normal girl, well a girl that can see ghosts. And that certainly complicates matters. Audrey, Heather's older sister made me despise her instantly and I kept waiting for her time to come, where something would happen to her that would put her in her place, but sadly nothing really did happen. Nothing big, or nothing punishing enough, at least in my opinion. One aspect that I found a bit strange was how Heather received knowing that Amy, the girl she saw around her father's grapes was in fact a ghost. It seemed to go too smoothly. I'm not sure that someone that hasn't seen a ghost before or interacted with a ghost before, especially a teenager, could take to knowing the girl she's conversing with is indeed a ghost. However, things seem to get better for Heather and she does get better at interacting with Amy and working to try and help her. At first it's just her being annoyed and frustrated and wanting nothing more to do with her ghost pal because hey, she's a teen on summer vacation. Of course she has better things to do.I'm interested in reading the second book in this series because it was a fun, light read. I would like to know where Heather goes next with her abilities, not to mention what happens to her next.

received this book for review from NetGalley.

Product Summary:

Product Description
The start of a fun middle-grade series, The Ghost Handlers, follows Heather Tildy, an Atlanta teen with a troublesome habit of attracting ghosts. Middle-child Heather has enough to worry about with sisters, boys and school. Now that a trouble-making girl from the 1800's is poking her nose in Heather's business, her life has taken a supernatural turn for the worse! Before her life can get better, she has to figure out how to help the ghost move on. Debut author Hardegree is a veteran short-story author for the well-known MOSSY CREEK HOMETOWN series. She plans multiple titles in this warm and funny YA series.

REVIEW:
I thought this was a fun book. Heather Tildy is haunted by a young ghost named Amy. Apparently Heather has inherited the ghost whisperer gene from her crazy Aunt Geneva. I'm glad this is the first of a series, I look forward to hearing more about the crazy aunt. The characters are fun and the older sister, middle sister rivalry between Audrey (the rotten older sister) and Heather is almost comical. This book will appeal to girls, but I don't see boys reading this story.

Haint Misbehavin is okay book. I just have a hard time when I see someone picked on all the time. Heather has skin problems,allergies and itches a lot.She is the middle daughter.
Audrey is the oldest and picks on,gets her into trouble and even her friends pick on Heather.
Clare is the youngest girl and is really nice.
All of a sudden Heather has a ghost talking, making her body do weird things and getting her in all kinds of trouble. The ghost name is Amy she is around 10. Heather realizes Amy was her pretend friend when she was little. Heather wants to help Amy leave so her life gets back to normal. Amy gets board easly and when she does she causes trouble that Heather gets the blame. Heather doesn't want anyone to know she has a ghost following her and causing all the problems.
I liked the last part of the book the best even when I cried at one point.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. Well written and faced paced. Funny and relateable.
I believe all girls can relate to some aspect of this story from beginning to end.
Heather and her family and friends are typical everyday people with the exception of a ghost.
Full of laughs,bad decisions, good decisions an all around good story.
4.5 STARS½

This is the first book in this series and it was really a lot of fun to read. We follow 14-year-old Heather Tiley as she has been labeled as a freak and other things throughout her years because of her hypersensitive skin. Now getting ready to enter high school she finds out she sees ghosts. Really? She’s being pestered by a 10-year-old ghost named Amy. Wanting to have a totally normal life, she needs to find a way to get Amy to go where she is supposed to go. But what she doesn’t know is that Amy is hiding a deep – dark secret that has prevented her from moving on.
This book reminds me of the TV show The Ghost Whisperer, but instead of it starring an adult, it stars a young teenager trying to come into her own in this strange paranormal world she has found herself in and yet still being faced with that of being a teenager. All of the characters seemed alive and real. The descriptions in the story were great. And really, because this book is a YA novel, I firmly believe that all youth would relate to the star of this book – with all of the trials and turmoils of being young, trying to fit in and find where you belong in the world.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

It’s tough being 14. It’s even tougher if you’re 14, you have hyper-sensitive skin that breaks out in rashes and hives when you’re stressed, and you have an obnoxious older sister with evil friends who harass you endlessly. It could be worse though, as Heather Tildy discovers in Haint Misbehavin, you could have a mischievous ghost to deal with. Heather discovers her ghost, Amy Malcolm, in the back yard one day. Heather accepts having her own ghost, since her Aunt Geneva has one herself, but she is not pleased by the proposition. Heather has set a goal of being normal before she enters high school the following year and, just maybe, winning the love of hunky lifeguard Drew. Amy is putting a major kink in those plans.
Haint Misbehavin’ will be a major hit with girls. It offers humor, a bit of mystery, and romance. Heather is a likeable and believable protagonist, and her family provides some comic relief as well. Female readers will identify with trying to fit in and catch the perfect guy. This is book one in the Ghost Handler series. If the other titles are as humorous and fun, the series should be a big hit.

Review by: Gina@My Precious - http://thecallawayfam.blogspot.com/

This is my very first review for a file I received from NetGalley.com. I downloaded the ebook at no cost as a PDF file, in exchange for a review. Converting the file to kindle format and uploading it to my device was easily accomplished by emailing the PDF file to my kindle email.

Summary: Fourteen year old Heather Tiley has been ridiculed throughout her elementary and junior high school years because of her hypersensitive skin, earning her a reputation as a weirdo and a freak. The summer before entering high school, she feels like she may have a chance to turn everything around. It all starts with getting her older and much cooler sister Audrey to like her. Now that she's finally entered womanhood, she may have half a chance. But then, along with her menstrual, comes another big problem, the ability to see ghosts!

Heather's ghost, Amy, is a rambunctious ten-year old female who's only wish is for Heather to provide her with entertainment. As if it isn't already hard enough for Heather to ditch her freakish reputation on her own, how is she ever going to succeed with a cantankerous young "haint" tagging along. Heather's only hope at ever having a normal high school experience is to find a way to get Amy into the afterlife. The sooner the better. However, this task proves to be much harder than one may think! You see Amy is harboring a dark secret, a secret which has kept her lingering in this world afraid to ever pass into the next and she's refuses to talk about it.. Will Heather be successful in rectifying Amy's situation, sending her happily to the afterlife? Or is it her destiny to forever be known as the freakish weirdo with the hypersensitive skin who now can see ghosts?

Book Discussion: Book one in the Ghost Handler series. This story was an enjoyable and totally humorous read. The characters were true to the times. The author utilized the most current teenage language, styles and devices throughout the novel to create truly believable characters teenagers will be able to relate to. The reader could easily sympathize with Heather's plight. Most everyone has an inner desire to be liked and to fit in, especially as teenagers. It was brilliant the way the author wove these theme's into this unique storyline. A completely wholesome, clean, novel leaving the reader very satisfied and with a warm heart. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Recommendation: This book would be suitable for middle grade girls ages 11 to 15. I don't believe the plot or storyline would actively interest boys. The language and word choice is appropriate for this age group and also detailed enough even grown ups would be entertained.

Other Goodies: Author's blog: http://www.maureenhardegree.com/index.html

Reviewed by YoungBibliophile for TeensReadToo.com

Heather Tildy has finally "become a woman." But instead of becoming closer with her cool older sister, all Heather gets is a visit from her old imaginary friend, Amy.

And it turns out that Amy is actually a ghost, and her only chance of getting to the afterlife is through Heather.

Unfortunately, Amy doesn't really want to go back, so it looks like Heather's plans of sitting by the pool staring at her crush, Drew, have been sidelined.

Heather needs to find a way to send Amy on to the next life, but Amy is doing everything she can to hamper Heather's efforts. With a little creative research and help from a new friend, Xavier, maybe Heather can help Amy out, and save her summer.

I really enjoyed HAINT MISBEHAVIN'. The way the story is written really makes it sound like a teenager speaking, and while the story seems light and fun, it touches on some deeper issues. I'm glad to see that this is the first of a series. I can't wait to see how Ms. Hardegree develops Heather's character and see what other messes she gets into!