The next installment of the Braidy von Althuis books releases today as local author Cas Dwelis publishes the fourth book in his paranormal series intended for children aged 8 to 12.

Meet Braidy. He’s a ten-year-old kid with a wild and magickal family just trying to fit in, have fun, and be himself.
The Braidy von Althuis books are a five-book series intended for ages 8 – 11, but can be enjoyed by anyone. If you like A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Addams Family, and genuine, heart-warming stories, these books are for you.
This series talks about many important kids’ issues including bullying, guilt, accountability, grief, lying, self-esteem, and being true to yourself.
The Braidy von Althuis series is my main book series, suitable for children between the ages of 8 and 11. Join Braidy on this paranormal adventure as he battles the supernatural while trying to deal with being a normal kid!
The books explore a magical world of adventure that any child (or adult!) can get involved in. I wrote the Braidy von Althuis books to bring an engaging and eccentric world together that anyone can access and enjoy. Learn more about each book in the series below!
Ten-year-old Braidy von Althuis just wants one thing: to fit in. The other kids at school think he’s weird, and for good reason. Despite his oddities, Braidy wants more than anything for his dad to be able to come to Township Day, a fun-filled event at school, but Mr. von Althuis refuses. “It’s too dangerous,” he says.
Things change for Braidy when Mr. von Althuis gets sick, and, even worse, this pesky pest controller won’t leave Braidy alone! Will Braidy be able to get his family to Township Day without his world falling apart?
Braidy von Althuis and the Pesky Pest Controller is a tale of friendship, family, magic, and mayhem that takes a look at what it means to be bullied and how to rise above it.
“Braidy felt a churning cauldron of fear stirring in his stomach. Uncle Rolo had the habit of destroying good things.”
Ten-year-old Braidy von Althuis finally has what he needs: a good friend, Saturday-Morning cartoons, and a loving family. While life has been perfect since Braidy defeated the warlock that attempted to kidnap his father, Braidy knows the quiet will not last. Strangeness creeps through Maple Hills, especially since a ghost hunter moved into town.
This ghost hunter has Braidy’s dead Uncle Rolo worried sick, but Braidy’s family thinks the newcomer in town is harmless. Braidy feels otherwise, and to make matters worse, a friend from Uncle Rolo’s past comes to call. Will Uncle Rolo follow the rules and stay safe, or will Braidy watch his uncle tear their family apart?
Braidy von Althuis and the Gullible Ghost Hunter is a story about telling the truth, taking responsibility, and what it means to be a family.
“He should have known this would happen. Wishes in movies and books seemed to go bad, so why would this one be any different?”
Ten-year-old Braidy von Althuis misses his family dearly. Ever since his father, his aunt, and his uncle went to look for Gran in Europe, the house has been quiet and lonely. Even worse, Braidy’s cousin Blockhead is miserable after a breakup. Braidy wishes more than anything that he could do something to make his cousin happy.
His wish is granted by a mysterious djinni, but the wish does not solve all his problems. Something is wrong with Blockhead, and Braidy learns a dark secret about his family that changes everything he knew. Will Braidy and Blockhead be able to undo the djinni wish, or will Braidy spark a war that may change the world as he knows it?
” All of the regret that she buried in her garden in America will grow up like weeds and swallow her like quicksand.”
Braidy von Althuis is celebrating his eleventh birthday, but not with his best friend. Mr. von Althuis has decided to move the family out of Maple Hills, and Braidy is forced to say goodbye to Kara and to eat his cake alone. Even though the von Althuises have lived in Maple Hills for hundreds of years, something has spooked the adults so badly that they feel helpless without Gran. Something is coming for them, though Braidy knows not who or what.
When the family arrives in Ukraine, a whole slew of new problems arise. Mr. von Althuis gets a job, Uncle Rolo finds himself in more trouble, and Aunt Liz and Braidy are summoned to an audience with the Fairy King. In order to go home, Braidy and Aunt Liz must solve riddles or belong to the Fairy King forever. Will Braidy and Aunt Liz be able to escape the Fairy King’s clutches or will heartache and memories of a life long gone tear Aunt Liz and Braidy apart?
“Your husband willingly signed over his life to Azra. Boris owes Azra his life and services. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
Braidy von Althuis is going to get his father back, no matter the consequences. Mr. von Althuis has been abducted by Azra, Queen of Djinn, and the family is in shambles. Half of the von Althuises no longer have their magick, and an army of djinn awaits them at Azra’s gates. Somehow, despite all of the odds, Mrs. von Althuis, Uncle Rolo, Aunt Liz, Blockhead, and Braidy have to band together to retrieve Braidy’s father from the clutches of certain doom.
Even though they hate each other, Braidy is determined to pull the fae and djinn together to fight against Azra’s tyranny. He will have to work with old friends, and old enemies, to finally end the war between djinn and fae that has come to a nasty head. Will Braidy be able to unite an army at his back and save his father, or will Mr. von Althuis belong to Azra forever?
The next installment of the Braidy von Althuis books releases today as local author Cas Dwelis publishes the fourth book in his paranormal series intended for children aged 8 to 12.
In order to avoid appropriating cultures, repeating the same things that fantasy authors that have come before you, and writing huge cliches, you need to develop your own fantasy world. This will not only make your book stand out, but you as an author will have a greater understanding of your world’s residents, economy, architecture, and government.
The best way to write kids is to spend time with kids. If you don’t have physical access to a kid in the age range you need, turn to the internet. By watching how kids interact with each other and with adults, you’ll pick up on their mannerisms, their speech patterns, and any slang that they use.
Middle Grade readers are incredibly smart and are also growing and learning, trying to process the world around them. By including formative themes like divorce, death, ethical dilemmas, abuse, and other “dark” themes, you can help kids learn through fiction how to cope with those things.
A thesaurus is your best friend when you need to spice up your writing, add complexity, and intensify mood. You don’t need a physical thesaurus, but an internet thesaurus is absolutely necessary.
Grab a thesaurus, use creative dialogue tags, get rid of your adverbs, and use tags only when necessary. Dialogue tags are your best friend, but can easily become redundant.
Your book synopsis needs to condense your 50k novel down into merely a hundred and fifty words. To write a great synopsis, you need to tell the story, give a clear idea of the conflict and the resolution, and avoid boring language.
The genre that you are writing in determines how long your novel should be, and if your manuscript is too far over or too far under word count, publishers and agents won’t take it.
Research, reading, and a whole lot of writing are key to developing your own voice. Only with practice, patience and time will you find what makes you unique and you.
There are three surefire things that make a great main character: believability, relatability, and characterization. Without these three things, characters become mindless NPCs left to be puppeted by your will.
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