The Mystery of Hollow Inn

Samantha Wolf Mystery, Book 1

By: Tara Ellis

Narrated by: Tara Ellis

Twelve-year-old Samantha Wolf, and her best friend Ally, are excited to spend part of their summer break in the mountains of Montana. But unbeknownst to them, Hollow Inn is bathed in mystery and legend. After arriving, they soon discover that things are not going well for Sam's Aunt and Uncle, who own the Inn. There's vandalism, ghostly sightings and rumors of lost treasures. Determined to help, Sam and Ally embark on a challenging journey to discover the truth.

©2014 Tara Ellis (P)2014 Tara Ellis

Pleasantly surprised!

Where does The Mystery of Hollow Inn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

If I had children or grandchildren in my home, thus audio book would be a regular in my carpooling rotation! The plot moves quickly and is easy to follow while also painting a vivid picture of each character and scene. As fun for the adults as it is for the kids.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Samantha, "Sam", was my favorite character. I was actually a childhood friend of the author, and though we haven't seen each other in many years, I can see her own nature in this strong, adventurous and intelligent character.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening scene of two young girls travelling by bus to visit an aunt instantly grabbed me and I didn't stop listening until the end.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book brought on a nostalgic feeling from the beginning, reminding me of the fun and mystery of the old Trixie Belden and Hardy Boys series.

Any additional comments?

This audio book was gifted to me by the author. She is aware of my addiction to audiobooks and wanted honest opinion on her narration. I was very pleasantly surprised by her narration skills as well as the professional quality of the audio.

Very Nancy Drew!

What a fun and suspenseful tale! Tara Ellis has begun a fantastic middle grade to YA series perfect for the mystery lover. I cannot wait to see what over legends and mysteries this pair solve.

Ellis also narrators this story and while it started off like she was simply reading a story I can honestly say her performance got better as the story continued. She definitely has talent.

A fun teen adventure

Ghosts, hidden treasure, spooky mine shafts, an ancient journal and two inquisitive teen girls (and a young man). What more could you ask for a summer vacation?

I wish this book was there when I was growing up..

A lovely mystery, with two truly sympathetic main characters and a great storyline, this book reminds me of the old Hitchcock's 'Three Investigators' series, but even better, because the investigators are girls!

Fun, entertaining and well-written I'm marking this series as a must-gift to the youngsters in the family :D

Oh, and the narration? It is fantastic!

Buddy Reading

I live in Alaska and my grandchildren live in the Midwest and South. I miss them and was determined to have a relationship with them. To make it as strong as it would be if I were there, I had to get creative. I use the video calling to buddy read with them. We read this together, a boy 9, girl 11, boy 11, boy 12.
We enjoyed the story very much. My granddaughter was as thrilled with Sam and Ally as I was with Nancy Drew. I see more from this series in our future. The boys also enjoyed the story. They were all caught up in the story. Sam and Ally are 12 year old friends who are visiting Sam’s aunt and uncle in Montana. They rode a bus for 10 hours by theirselves. That detail greatly impressed my grandchildren who have never gone alone on a vacation. When they arrived they found there was no cell service. They found it interesting that the girls not only survived a vacation with no cell phone, they actually enjoyed it. I personally loved that part. I also liked the way the author called attention to the fact that the girls each felt differently about social media. The girls are told about the Hollow Legend on their ride to the inn. The adventure begins. The kids said they were able to picture the adventure because the author described things wonderfully. We all agreed that we thought the narrator, who is the author, was easy to listen to and did a good job. They like how she was able to portray all the emotions using just her voice. We are looking forward to more mysteries with Sam Wolf.