http://WildAtHeartMysteries.com

We are a family of bookworms and my children especially enjoy read alouds. We were excited to be able to read Through the Barbed Wire, by Isabella Allen, from the Wild at Heart Mystery series. This book was special to us because it was based in Texas where we recently moved from our hometown almost a year ago. Mysteries are also a favorite of ours, so this book was doubly fun. We decided to read this aloud as a family with our children who range in age from thirteen to nine.The book may be purchased for $12.99.

This is a chapter book about a young eleven-year-old girl who lives on many acres in Texas. She is not your typical eleven-year-old but seems to be a lot younger in age. She mainly roams around their land interacting with animals and nature. Her mother is away in Scotland and she is home with her father. She is also a homeschooler. She has a bad experience at the age of five and becomes a homebody who is somewhat afraid to interact with other people or leave her home. Eventually, she befriends a neighbor boy and begins to bring him into her little world. During their exploring, they begin to discover other people have been on her land and find plans for an amusement/water park. A fire on their property starts adding to the mysteriousness of the items they are discovering. At one point, she is injured while exploring on her own, luckily her new friend finds her in time. The kids begin to investigate on their own, making a very adventurous story.

Our family really enjoyed the mystery. It seemed a little young for our thirteen-year-old, but she always enjoys a good story and didn’t complain. I liked that the characters were not your average run of the mill children, but children with a different background and even some difficulties. I also enjoyed the bond the children formed throughout the story.  Overall, if you enjoy mysteries, this book is a great read.

-Product review by Kim Rodriguez, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2018