CM Magazine Recommends Alex and The Other

"The realities of middle school life combined with a creepy mystery adventure story make Alex and the Other a fun and fast-paced tale that fans of spooky stories will enjoy. RECOMMENDED" 

-- CM Magazine, Feb/2018

This review for my creepy, middle-grade, doppelganger horror story, came out this time last year. Alex and The Other is book 4 in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, and is being showcased at an upcoming Battle of the Books event for schoolkids in Ontario (April, 2019).

Still a great review!

Here's the complete review: 
Alex and The Other

Resource Links Review (E for Excellent, and Kid Summer Read List Selection)
More Reviews on Goodreads
Here's the Booktrailer with illustrations by series illustrator Shawna Daigle
ORDER Alex and The Other on Amazon

All Posts about Alex and The Other and Weird Stories Gone Wrong on this blog.

CM Magazine Review, Blackwells and the Briny Deep

BOOK 5, Weird Stories Gone Wrong,
Now available! Click for order info

"Fans of the short fiction series Weird Stories Gone Wrong will enjoy this fifth installment.

Dowding spins another yarn exploring the weirdness lying just beneath the surface of a seemingly normal everyday existence. The realities of sibling rivalry combined with a spine tingling, mystery-adventure story make Blackwells and the Briny Deep a fun tale that fans of spooky stories will enjoy. 

RECOMMENDED, CM Magazine, NOV/2018"
Thank you for the lovely review for my latest book, CM! 

Full CM review here: Blackwells and the Briny Deep

NEW: Weird Stories Gone Wrong 5-book OMNIBUS

Blackwells and the Briny Deep, BOOKTRAILER
(featuring illustrations by series illustrator Shawna Daigle)

All posts about Blackwells on this BLOG

American Library Association loves Myles and the Monster Outside

"Strange events transpire that will keep the reader turning pages with bated breath. Mixing colorful, descriptive imagery with plentiful dialogue, Dowding creates an excitingly spooky tale. Add Daigle's ghostly drawings, and readers will be enthralled with this second novel in the Weird Stories Gone Wrong Series."
--American Library Association Booklist Review, Dec. 3, 2015

Wow! What a great review for Myles and the Monster Outside, from the ALA Booklist folks, thank you! They've never reviewed my work before, so I am doubly thankful. What a nice way to start out with them. If you have an ALA Booklist subscription, you can read the rest of the review here.

Here's a link to more great reviews: Goodreads
Also, Kirkus Reviews compared the book to Goosebumps!

CM Magazine Recommends The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden!

 CM . . . . Volume XX Number 5. . . .October 4, 2013

The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden. Philippa Dowding. Toronto, ON: Dundurn, January, 2014. 200 pp., trade pbk., PDF & EPub, $9.99 (pbk.), $12.99 (PDF), $8.99 (Epub). ISBN 978-1-4597-0735-1 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4597-0736-8 (PDF), ISBN 978-1-4597-0737-5 (EPub). Grades 3 and up / Ages 8 and up. Review by Stephanie Dror. *** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

CM Magazine has given my forthcoming book, The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden,
3 out of 4 stars and their much-coveted "Recommended" status. Thank you CM, I'm very honoured!

It's a good review. Here are some of the highlights:

"Gwendolyn Golden is an average kid with average kid problems. She is going through puberty, has anger management issues, and problems fitting in at school, but it all becomes even more complicated when she discovers that she is a Night Flyer. Waking up on the roof is not normal, but then her body does not feel normal any more either. Undergoing the initiation as a Night Flyer is not easy. Gwendolyn has to learn to trust her body and control her mind. There are dangers that threaten to eat away at her self-esteem and destroy her, but she has help. Gwendolyn has to grow up fast, and she just isn't quite ready yet.

     

The story of Gwendolyn Golden's coming of age is engaging – the kind of book you cannot put down. Gwennie narrates the story, which gets up close and personal with what it feels like to grow up, and to learn how to fly. Gwennie is a regular, relatable kid. She is funny, dealing with issues as they come. While the book focuses on Gwennie’s new ability, she also helps her single mother, struggles with her family's past, deals with her best friend, and everything else that goes along with life as a young teenager....

... The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden is an engaging realistic fantasy. It would be wonderful to read aloud to children; it may be a valuable suggestion for children dealing with loss, and it is great for middle graders who love stories with a little magic, a modern setting and which are a quick read.

Recommended." 

Thanks again, CM! You'll find the complete review and more here.