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Stanley and Hazel #1
Stanley and Hazel
A great depression has gripped the city of St. Louis in 1934. Stanley, an orphaned newsy, lives in a poor part of town hit especially hard by the economic downturn. One night, Stanley runs into Hazel, a restless debutante in waiting who has begun to question her posh lifestyle in the midst of the suffering she sees. She’s out and about without an escort and against her father’s wishes.
When they discover the body of a girl with her head bashed in by a baseball bat, the very different and separate realities of the two teens inform their decision. Together they will figure out what happened to her and bring those responsible to justice.
But getting involved with each other and digging into the secrets behind this murder earns them some powerful enemies, including a secret group seeking to rid society of all they deem “undesirable.” They’ve put into motion “The Winnowing,” a plan seeking to take over the city and enforce their will.
As Stanley and Hazel’s forbidden feelings for one another grow, their investigation turns deadly. Now, it is up to Stanley and his gang of street kids to stop Hazel from becoming the next victim.
When they discover the body of a girl with her head bashed in by a baseball bat, the very different and separate realities of the two teens inform their decision. Together they will figure out what happened to her and bring those responsible to justice.
But getting involved with each other and digging into the secrets behind this murder earns them some powerful enemies, including a secret group seeking to rid society of all they deem “undesirable.” They’ve put into motion “The Winnowing,” a plan seeking to take over the city and enforce their will.
As Stanley and Hazel’s forbidden feelings for one another grow, their investigation turns deadly. Now, it is up to Stanley and his gang of street kids to stop Hazel from becoming the next victim.
280 pages, Trade Paperback
First published May 15, 2018
17 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
About the author
Jo Schaffer Layton
8 books63 followersJo Schaffer Layton was born and raised in the California Bay Area in a huge, creative family. She is a YA novelist, speaker, writer at BYU TV, works in film production and is a Taekwondo black belt.
She's a founding member of Operation Literacy and co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, one of the largest conferences in the nation for youth ages 13-19. She and a crew of local and international bestselling authors present writing workshops to hundreds of attendees at the Utah-based conference as well as hundreds of others worldwide who view the conference online.
Jo loves being involved in anything that promotes literacy and family. She is passionate about community, travel, books, music, healthy eating, classic films and martial arts. Her brain is always spinning new ideas for books and sometimes she even gets around to blogging.
Jo is mom of 3 strapping lads as well as two wonderful bonus kiddos. She lives in Texas with her hunky tattooed husband.
She's a founding member of Operation Literacy and co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, one of the largest conferences in the nation for youth ages 13-19. She and a crew of local and international bestselling authors present writing workshops to hundreds of attendees at the Utah-based conference as well as hundreds of others worldwide who view the conference online.
Jo loves being involved in anything that promotes literacy and family. She is passionate about community, travel, books, music, healthy eating, classic films and martial arts. Her brain is always spinning new ideas for books and sometimes she even gets around to blogging.
Jo is mom of 3 strapping lads as well as two wonderful bonus kiddos. She lives in Texas with her hunky tattooed husband.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 31, 2018
This book was adorable. The story was set in the time of the great depression and there just aren't a whole lot of books from that time period. Especially YA mystery type books. So I was super excited for the chance to read this one. I love reading historical books. Hazel was fantastic. She felt like she would be my best friend. She was so down to earth and relatable. She was struggling with things I think all teenage girls go through. Stanley was also fantastic! I love them together.
This was a fun read and I am hoping to see more from this era!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher.*
This was a fun read and I am hoping to see more from this era!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher.*
March 13, 2019
I think the ratings on some of this stuff is rigged. That, or maybe this was meant for... younger or less-informed audiences? Bad for a period piece, that's for sure. DNF at 21%. Meh.
October 12, 2018
St. Louis, 1934- the Great Depression has created a rift, sending most people into a spiral of poverty and accentuating the few rich families of Lindell Boulevard. The upcoming famed Veiled Prophet Ball is supposed to be a celebration for everyone in the city, but has morphed into a debutante ball where the mysterious prophet chooses his Queen of Love and Beauty. Hazel Malloy is one of the future debutantes of Lindell Boulevard. Her best friend Sandra's sister was queen last year. Hazel would much rather go out on the town and watch the latest movie. It is at the theatre that she meets Stanley, a budding news reporter whose family has been hit by the depression. Stanley is the leader of the Knights, a group that is trying to help impoverished families. Stanley insists on walking Hazel home after the movie when they stumble upon a masked man and a murder. When they see that the woman murdered is Sandra's sister Evelyn, Stanley and Hazel feel compelled to dig deeper and uncover a plot connecting the families of Lindell, the Veiled Prophet and the radical new leader in Germany.
Stanley and Hazel is an adventurous, fast-paced historical murder mystery. There is a lot going on in this book and it did take a bit of reading to introduce everyone and set the scene. I really enjoyed Stanley and Hazel's characters and dynamic together. Stanley is determined to do good with the station he was given and has an immense drive. Hazel is adventurous, intelligent and able to see outside of her world. The time period of this book made everything more interesting. The writing was excellent in transporting me to 1930's St. Louis with the differences between the classes of people, the gangs, the baseball games, the movies and manner of speech. The mystery was excellent; a lot of different elements were incorporated, with different players, danger and unseen forces as well as the ominous rise to power of Hitler overseas. While one mystery is solved at the end, the bigger mystery of the Veiled Prophet remains to be solved in the next book.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Stanley and Hazel is an adventurous, fast-paced historical murder mystery. There is a lot going on in this book and it did take a bit of reading to introduce everyone and set the scene. I really enjoyed Stanley and Hazel's characters and dynamic together. Stanley is determined to do good with the station he was given and has an immense drive. Hazel is adventurous, intelligent and able to see outside of her world. The time period of this book made everything more interesting. The writing was excellent in transporting me to 1930's St. Louis with the differences between the classes of people, the gangs, the baseball games, the movies and manner of speech. The mystery was excellent; a lot of different elements were incorporated, with different players, danger and unseen forces as well as the ominous rise to power of Hitler overseas. While one mystery is solved at the end, the bigger mystery of the Veiled Prophet remains to be solved in the next book.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
June 1, 2018
This is not a typical read for me but once I read the synopsis I became intrigued and knew I had to read it. This fantastic read takes place in STL, MO during the depression and the worldbuilding and characters quickly sweep you off your feet and transports you to that era. The story shifts between Stanley and Hazel and we get a taste of what it was like for the rich and poor of that time. From the minute you pick up the book you can just see that the author has a creative writing style and I really hope there will be more to this story. Take a chance on this one as you won't be disappointed.-YA/NA Book Divas
{I requested an ARC from the publisher and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions contained herein are unbiased and my own.}
{I requested an ARC from the publisher and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions contained herein are unbiased and my own.}
April 3, 2020
I found this book by chance from the library with a recommendation. It was decent. I will admit I did not have the ending figured out, although I did not find every part to be plausible.
Stanley is a newsie and Hazel was born with a silver spoon. They couldn't be more different, but a chance run in ends with them finding the body of a dead girl, the sister of a friend of Hazels. Together they are determined to catch the killer, especially when they see a police officer hiding evidence.
The setting and character voices were captured well and did not seem overly forced. However, not all of the characters were fully fleshed out. There was a decent amount of suspense, but again some of the items seemed to come out of nowhere. A lot of times Stanley was saying in his sections that all of sudden things made sense, he came closer to the end of the mystery. Except we get to see the same evidence and I just couldn't see how a led to b. Even when it was all spelled out. Plus only one mystery was solved, the rest will go on to the second book.
Stanley is a newsie and Hazel was born with a silver spoon. They couldn't be more different, but a chance run in ends with them finding the body of a dead girl, the sister of a friend of Hazels. Together they are determined to catch the killer, especially when they see a police officer hiding evidence.
The setting and character voices were captured well and did not seem overly forced. However, not all of the characters were fully fleshed out. There was a decent amount of suspense, but again some of the items seemed to come out of nowhere. A lot of times Stanley was saying in his sections that all of sudden things made sense, he came closer to the end of the mystery. Except we get to see the same evidence and I just couldn't see how a led to b. Even when it was all spelled out. Plus only one mystery was solved, the rest will go on to the second book.
April 13, 2018
So fun! This era is definitely one of the more fun ones to read about. The author was super consistent in the language, making sure it sounded authentic. The characters had witty banter and enjoyable interactions. Hazel is a girl you would follow into the apocalypse. There were a couple things throughout that I was confused about and why they were included, because they felt like big pieces but didn't end up coming through in the end of the book, but overall this book was really awesome and you should definitely grab it!
February 24, 2019
I loved Stanley and Hazel! A YA mystery set in the 1930's. Great characters, loved the lingo and the story. It reminded me of the old Bowery Boys movies and T.V. shows. Stanley is a newsie and has a lot of gumption. Hazel a rich girl from the other side of town. These two get together to solve a brutal crime they witnessed. I also enjoyed Stanley's gang and his compassion to help the less fortunate. I'm looking forward to read the next book The Winnowing.
I give Stanley and Hazel 5 stars for its murder mystery.
I would recommend this book to YA Mystery fans.
I give Stanley and Hazel 5 stars for its murder mystery.
I would recommend this book to YA Mystery fans.
March 15, 2019
What a read!
This is a great historical fiction book. A little history, a budding romance, interesting characters, all from a dark time in U.S. history. Still trapped in the economic downturn of the depression and too many of the “haves” taking a page from Hitler’s playbook to begin exploring eugenics. Thank heaven,as the scrappy Americans we are, the “have nots” of that time never gave up.
I’m looking forward to the sequel, hoping Hazel and Stanley find a way to stop the Veiled Prophet. And yes, save the world while they’re at it.
This is a great historical fiction book. A little history, a budding romance, interesting characters, all from a dark time in U.S. history. Still trapped in the economic downturn of the depression and too many of the “haves” taking a page from Hitler’s playbook to begin exploring eugenics. Thank heaven,as the scrappy Americans we are, the “have nots” of that time never gave up.
I’m looking forward to the sequel, hoping Hazel and Stanley find a way to stop the Veiled Prophet. And yes, save the world while they’re at it.
March 20, 2020
Cute historical mystery set in the 1930s during the depression. Kind of a Romeo and Juliet thing going with the MCs. Hazel is a swell and Stanley is a newsboy. They are thrown together to solve a mystery after discovering the body of a murdered woman in a park. Give this to teens who like The Diviners series or the Stoker & Holmes series.
September 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this book! I felt like the characters were so unique and perfect for the era. The witty dialogue between the two main characters was also refreshing compared. The story was full of suspense and mystery. I only wish the second book would come out faster so I can continue the story.
January 22, 2023
Plenty of action in a story of teens who stumble onto a dark undercurrent in 1934 St Louis. I am impressed that it is based on true events of the time period - the politics and ideas that I had never heard before.
March 12, 2018
Loved it!!! A story from back during the depression and the tales of those who have and Those who are poor. This story will keep you reading and I am hoping there will be more to this tale.
August 23, 2018
It was a very interesting book based on true history. It took me a little while to get into it, but when I did I couldn't put it down.
June 28, 2019
This book is so incredibly well- researched and written. It is also so much fun to read! Why aren't more people reading this author!!!!
January 16, 2020
Great Storyline and plot twists. The character development is amazing and it leaves you needing more.
February 4, 2020
Stanley and Hazel is a compelling story with great characters and dialogue.
December 6, 2024
The Stanley on the front of the cover scares me.😶😥
March 5, 2024
I grew up in St. Louis so I loved it just for that! I also love a good mystery
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews