Imagine if your father suddenly disappeared right before your third birthday, and left no explanation.  Wouldn’t you feel lonely or abandoned? Well, in The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel, Emma‘s dad has vanished for no apparent reason on her third birthday. She doesn’t know what happens to him, but when she finds old medallions in the attic, she knows that there’s more to the story. Now, she lives with her mother, who’s getting along just fine, but when her mother goes to film a new TV show, Emma is sent off to an English boarding school with a strict set of rules. First of all, no soccer, which she loves to play. Next, she must focus on her schoolwork and not get “distracted”. These rules have made life at the boarding school very hard for Emma. To help with all of her work and learning Latin, she joins the Latin society which is known for all kinds of trouble. She has her head buried deep in school work, but when mysteriously signs start popping up about her father, she knows there’s a connection between him and the school. With her newfound friends, Lola and Jack, Emma sets out to work out the mystery of what happened to her father. To start learning Latin, she joins the Latin society, which is known for all kinds of trouble. She later discovers there is a secret society related to the school – and it’s all hidden behind the innocent Latin Society. She also realizes that they’re after her father’s medallions. Emma will have to venture deep into the secrets of Black Hollow Lane to find out!  Will she solve the mystery and finally now what happened to her father? Or will the Order of Black Hollow Lane get the answers from her first? Read The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel to find out!  Also, be sure to check out her sequel, which is coming out next year!

     This novel connects to the book Restart by Gordon Korman.  In Restart, former bully Chase Ambrose suffers from a concussion and doesn’t remember who he is.  When he comes back to school, some people are afraid of him, some are his friends, and others just want to be by him.  In both these books, the main characters are trying to piece their lives together after some kind of loss. The reader will watch these characters put together the puzzle after exciting developments.  If you liked The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane, then try reading Restart to find out what happens to Chase!