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I spent 20 years as a teacher of French, Latin and Classical studies, before a change of career led me to writing children's fiction. Originally from the UK, I now live in France with my husband and our beautiful Tonkinese cat.
Shadows from the Past is a series of time-travel adventures, featuring 3 children and a rather special Tonkinese cat - the incomparable Maximus Lancelot to give him his full name. I'm currently working on the eighteenth book, The Shadow of the Slave Ship. The full-length books are also accompanied by some shorter stories, Max's Adventures, all of which see the talking feline hero, Max, undertaking solo missions in the past.
As I take my young readers on a magical mystery tour through the past, I'm hoping that my love of history, myth and legend will rub off on them too.
Reviewed by Alyssa Elmore for Readers' Favorite
It is a pleasant afternoon until something upsets Max the talking Tonkinese cat's life again! Max's Hallowe'en Adventure by Wendy Leighton-Porter is a spine-chilling middle grade short story featuring Max, hero of The Shadows From The Past Series. In this fifth installment of Max's spin-off adventures, Max stumbles into another time and place. Not always the bravest of cats, Max can be rather reluctant to participate in anything that may involve water, running, jogging, or any sort of danger. Therefore, it does not bode well for Max when he finds himself at the mercy of a most terrifying person; a witch! Or is she? Max is confused. He doesn't know where he is, or why he is there and the woman that has summoned him has even befuddled his special owl amulet that can translate all languages including human/cat. This nightmare becomes even more intense when Max and a new friend find themselves the target of a malevolent man with a most horrifying agenda; to rid the surrounding areas of witches and sorcery! How has Max come to be so far away from home and his own time? Will he discover his mission before he becomes kindling?
Max's Hallowe'en Adventure (Max's Adventures Book Five) by Wendy Leighton-Porter is a hair-raising Halloween adventure short story complete with witches, cauldrons, and spooky black cats. Fans of Max the talking Tonkinese cat will be thrilled and chilled with this eerie episode. Written as a tie-in for its sister series, The Shadows From The Past, this book will have any young reader entwined in the turbulent times of the Salem Witch Trials when neither humans nor cats were safe. This story is the enticing prequel to the upcoming Shadows From The Past story, The Shadow of The Witchfinder; another awesome, historically accurate adventure that is certain to keep any young reader spellbound to the last page. With its edge of the seat action and tantalizing conclusion, this book is certain to have even the most reluctant readers begging for the next installment! As an avid fan of Ms. Leighton-Porter's books, I found that this newest story does not disappoint. I love how the author recounts the origins of Halloween and weaves a tragic part of history into such a fascinating tale, giving the reader a delicious morsel of what is to come. I appreciate how the author takes the time to explain history at the end of her books and encourages young readers to do their own follow-up studying. I would recommend this book for readers that love adventure, action, and Halloween.
