Book Review: Alligators Overhead by C. Lee McKenzie

Title:                            Alligators Overhead

Written by:                  C. Lee McKenzie

Pages:                          95

Publisher:                    Outskirts Press

ISBN:                          9781432784737

Published:                   July 2012

If the cover of C. Lee McKenzie’s Alligators Overhead doesn’t lure you in from the onset the title certainly will.

A mysterious mansion reappears one hundred years after its disappearance in the vacant lot next to the house young Pete shares with his Aunt Lizzy, who is his guardian since the death of his parents. As the Hadleyville town folk contemplate why and how the mansion reappeared Pete’s curiosity gets the best of him. Forewarned by Aunt Lizzy not to go near nor enter the mansion drives Pete closer to it instead of convincing him not to enter. Throw in his best friend Weasel and the adventure that ensues will have you turning the pages at light speed.

Unbeknownst to Pete, the Ornofree Swamp is the cause behind the reappearance. A mind blowing experience happens within the walls of the mansion throwing Pete and Weasel into a tailspin of bone frightening chills and unanswered questions. Through his determination to uncover the hidden secrets of Hadleyville, Pete becomes enthralled by the town tellers, the long gone Hadley family or in this case the reappearance of one specific member, Cenzo the head alligator, what his aunt truly is, and what the preservation of Ornofree Swamp means to society, both human and animal.

Will mankind and animal join forces in time to save Ornofree Swamp? Or will it be lost to the destructive nature of a particular construction company intent on taking over Ornofree Swamp for their own purposes? Find out in C. Lee McKenzie’s mesmerizing tale of Hadleyville’s descendents of original witches, magical alligators, and the mysterious mansion.

Ms. McKenzie’s brilliant writing style and knack of making the unbelievable believable will pull the most reluctant reader in from the onset for an adventure like non-other.

About the author: A native Californian, C. Lee McKenzie lives on the edge of a redwood forest with her husband and assorted cats. When she's not writing or blogging she's hiking or practicing yoga. She wrote her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, after reading a news article about "self-abuse" among ivy league students. It was so disturbing to think young people needed to inflict pain on themselves to cope with their lives that she finally had to write about it. It turned out to be a fictionalized account that she hopes offers some insights into the growing problem. Her second novel, The Princess of Las Pulgas, deals with a young girl and her family. They have everything and suddenly nothing. Alligators Overhead is a newly released middle grade novel about magic and some uniquely talented alligators. 

Visit C. Lee McKenzie www.cleemckenziebooks.com/ and www.writegame.blogspot.com/

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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with Donna McDine on Google+
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval Recipient and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist