"Reading is an Avenue to Enlightenment and Inspiration"
Kristin Fulton
BroadwayPacificPress.com
Rave Reviews!
The Haunting
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Haunting
Author: Kristin A. Fulton
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 20
Stats
Editing: 10/10 Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10 Cover: 10/10
Of the 20 readers:
20 would read another book by this author.
20 thought the cover was good or excellent.
20 felt it was easy to follow.
20 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 13 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
20 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
20 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
"This book was so cool. I loved it." Girl, aged 9
"I loved how they save the orphanage with the help of the ghost. The Whipley twins were so bad. I’m glad the orphans stood up to them in the end." Boy, aged 11
"A very enjoyable adventure story, perfect for 9 – 12 year olds, showcasing the importance of working together to overcome a problem. The twins were outrageously nasty adding a Roald Dahl feel to the story. Chance is an excellent hero kids can relate to: honest and brave. The children in my class of ten year olds enjoyed it as a class reader." Primary teacher, aged 43
"I loved the old orphanage with all the secret passageways. I wouldn’t want to be an orphan but I think Miss May was very good to them. It was a clever story. I also laughed in parts. I will read another book by this writer if I can find one." Girl aged 10 – with a little help from her teacher
To Sum It Up:
"An exciting story packed full of ghostly twists and turns. A SILVER MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended." The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
More reviews for The Haunting
What Readers Are Saying
The story was just plain fun!
The Haunting, by Kristin Fulton, contains a perfect amount of old-fashioned edge-of-the-seat excitement. Ghosts? Why not? The story is just plain fun, filled with a light touch of suspense, twists and turns, and delightful illustrations. A good read-aloud while on a road trip with the family, or for the pre-teen ready to curl up and spend some time immersed in a story where kids are the heroes.
5 out of 5 Stars
From Suzan Still—author of Well in Time, Fiesta of Smoke, Commune of Women
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THE HAUNTING
The Haunting, by Kristin A. Fulton, is a middle grade novel that is fun for readers of all ages. The book follows Chance Jameson, a delightfully inquisitive and adventuresome boy whom fate has made an orphan. Housed at Oak Hill Orphanage, he is happily involved with his fellow orphans and his beloved teachers. Until, that is, the arrival of the Whipley twins, who take over the running of the orphanage.
What happens from that point on is a study in both the misery brought about by adult greed and unkindness, and in the courage and inventiveness of the children, who are aided by the disembodied presence of one of their favorite—but very much dead—teachers, Miss May. How the children overcome their adversaries makes for a tale filled with intrigue and humor.
Fulton has brought just the right, light touch to a story that still rests in important verities: greed and lack of compassion on one hand, played off against love and loyalty on the other. Facing life with pluck and imagination, courage and esprit de corps, the orphans present a wonderful role model for any reader. Charming illustrations by Molly Hart add playful embellishment to a tale very well told. I recommend The Haunting as fine summer reading for anyone, children, young adults and adults alike.
More Rave Reviews!
SNAKE FOOD
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Snake Food
Author: Kristin A. Fulton
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 8/10 Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10 Cover: 9/10
Of the 17 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
16 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 12 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
"This is a super cool adventure story. I liked lots of things in it. I thought the best character was Theo. There is a good mystery from the start as the children discover the professor is not at the old house. I liked how the three children work together to solve the mystery. This is a good book." Girl, aged 11
"Good book. I loved the picture of the snake on the front. I loved how the mystery start so soon in the book and I couldn’t guess what was going to happen." Boy, aged 12
"The characters develops well, but it’s the plot that is best." Girl, aged 12
"Excellent story for 10–13 year olds. With an Enid Blyton feel to it, this went down well in my classroom. The children characters were relatable and the plot twisted and turned, keeping the reader guessing." Teacher, aged 53
To Sum It Up:
"An exciting, fun and totally unpredictable adventure story. A FINALIST and highly recommended." The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
What Readers Are Saying
To the rescue!
Snake Food, by Kristin Fulton, offers the reader anticipation and adventure. The trio of youth is endearing with their interactions and problem-solving. I so enjoyed the touch of suspense, the illustrations and the charming style with which Ms. Fulton writes. It's a great read-aloud family book, or a good read for pre-teens.
5 out of 5 Stars
From Suzan Still—author of Well in Time, Fiesta of Smoke, Commune of Women
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SNAKE FOOD
Snake Food, by Kristin A. Fulton, is a story of a summer vacation gone awry. Olivia Hazelsmith and her younger brother, Theo, have plans of their own, when their parents, both doctors, suddenly announce that they are going off to Africa to assist in a disaster. The children are to stay with their Uncle Austin, a plan which leaves both of them quite disgruntled. When they arrive at his sprawling home in Bedford Falls, they are in no mood for what befalls them.
Instead of Uncle Austin, they are met by his housekeeper, Mrs. Zelinsky, who informs them sourly that their uncle has gone off on a sailing trip. With nowhere else to go, the siblings decide to stay and await their uncle’s return. Soon, they meet Vladimir Trokov, a lab assistant to their uncle, who is no more welcoming that Mrs. Zelinsky. Something is definitely odd about these two, Olivia and Theo agree, but what is really going on?
The answers will take them through the heart of their uncle’s strange old house, into his secret laboratories, and into a dilemma that is very scary, indeed. Aided by their new friend Will, Olivia and Theo demonstrate intelligence and courage in solving a near-lethal mystery and in bringing justice to the criminals responsible.
Fulton has created an atmosphere of both menace and adolescent camaraderie that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages of Snake Food. Charming illustrations by Molly Hart lend extra vitality to the tale. A must-read for lovers of mysteries and of a tale well told.
Even MORE Rave Reviews!
SISTERS OF THE SOUL
Sisters of the Soul
By: Kristin A. Fulton Publisher: Broadway Pacific Press Publication Date: July 20, 2023 ISBN: 979-8988597711 Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott Review Date: September 20, 2023
Author Kristin A. Fulton creates in Sisters of the Soul a historical tapestry that combines the rumors and realities of race, war, and personal triumph as seen in the bonding of two women – one white, one black – in the wake of national conflict seeded in the very issue they embody – human slavery.
Told through the perspective of several of its dynamic characters, Fulton’s tale begins in 1837, in Louisiana, on the Sweetbriar Plantation where the Dumont family has settled. Black maid servant Addie silently observes the often cruel treatment of Lucille Dumont by her domineering spouse Hugo, and the two women become secret allies. This abusive relationship passes on to a future generation when Hugo ruthlessly seduces Fern, an orphaned servant assigned to care for Lucille as she sinks into old age and depression. Fern dies giving birth to Elizabeth, and Lucille feels a divine obligation to take the infant as her own. Lizzie (Elizabeth) and Sophie, Addie’s child, will grow up closely and always companionably.
Hugo and Lucille’s son Bert, imbued with his father’s sinfulness, ravages Lizzie. She retaliates with a murdering maul, and Sophie aids in hiding the body. It’s clearly time now for the two women – Lizzie with child from the rape - to escape to a new life – not only because the law must be evaded, but also because, in the tenor of their mutual but separate worlds, talk of liberation – for slaves, for women – is being sounded. In 1859, they head west in a horse-drawn wagon. Their adventures on the trail comprise the second half of this fascinating family epic. The two determined heroines along with Lizzie’s daughter Rose will face a far different, more promising world than the one they left behind, and will find within themselves new purpose and
ambition to live worthwhile lives, justifying their flight from the place they once called home.
Fulton, a practiced wordsmith who has found much worth mining in the book’s geographical settings and timeframes, allows her heroines to speak, each in her special argot. They recall and describe small household happenings against a background of major national upheaval and the burgeoning of significant issues such as slaveholding and women’s rights that will impact them directly over the novel’s span of nearly 100 years. These separate contributions so imaginatively constructed by Fulton reveal the changes each character is experiencing in ideas and emotions, deftly expressing their differing perspectives based around growth, education, travel, and gradually widening world views.
Quill says: Fulton’s women’s epic is absorbing, packed with both action and reflection, and will engage and expand the author’s fan base, presaging more such stirring and thought-provoking sagas.
Readers' Favorite review
Overall Opinion: The overall starred rating takes into account all these elements and describes the overall reading experience of your reviewer. This is 5 the official Readers' Favorite review rating for your book.
Review: Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite
Kristin Fulton's historical novel Sisters of the Soul is about the lifelong bond between Elizabeth Dumond and Sophie Washington. The story begins in Louisiana in 1837 and ends in California in 1906. Elizabeth is the adopted daughter of Hugo and Lucille Laurent of the Sweetbrier Plantation in Louisiana. Sophie is a slave in the Laurent household. Elizabeth and Sophie grow up as sisters and friends. The lives of both women are shattered in brutal and humiliating ways by Bert Laurent who inherits his parents' estate. The women flee from Sweetbrier. Elizabeth's experience in horseriding, hunting and fishing, and Sophie’s field skills and cooking enable them to survive their trek westwards to California. In San Francisco, their Wayside Inn prospers. Sophie lives for some years in Canada with Elizabeth's daughter Rose and her husband. A family tragedy brings Rose and her daughter Aurora to San Francisco to be
reunited with Elizabeth and Sophie. I loved Kristin Fulton's novel Sisters of the Soul because of the strong characters and how the author centers her story around the bond between Elizabeth and Sophie even as they face life’s
turbulent challenges and difficult choices. I liked Fulton’s vivid writing as she describes the tension and dramatic changes on the plantation through another strong character: the vicious and brutal Bert Laurent. Fulton writes imaginatively of the women's journey to California, their courage and fear. I enjoyed the themes of love and
forgiveness that run through the story even as characters have bitter quarrels and drift apart. I liked the honesty and frankness between Elizabeth and Sophie. Fulton has created a very loving and perceptive character in Sophie, and she is the key to the mother-daughter reconciliation. A deeply moving tale indeed!
What Readers Are Saying
Kristin Fulton's first adult novel surpasses expectations!
“Wow” just begins to express my feelings after reading Kristin Fulton’s novel, Sisters of the Soul! What a story teller she is. I can’t begin to imagine having what it must take to write a novel of such proportions. Her very believable characters experience the realities of history as the novel’s setting moves across the U.S. I’m definitely recommending Sisters of the Soul to our book club!
5 out of 5 Stars