Playing pretend with a three-year-old

Jack, ferryboat captain

    The most fun playing with a three-year-old is their imagination. I recently hung out with our grandson Jack after he broke his leg on a trampoline. Despite his red cast he scooted around the house, rolled, and spun, laughing and narrating his games. The toy I brought him was a familiar kitchen item: an empty paper towel tube. He immediately knew its purpose and over several days put it into action: a sword, a telescope, a stick for his bongo drum. Among Legos it became a house chimney, an airport control tower, then a tunnel for tiny race cars. When he called himself a ferryboat captain I asked if he could see a lighthouse. 

    "Umm ... yes. There!" he said, aiming his spyglass at the dog. 

    I look forward to when Jack and I can read a Cabin Creek Mystery together. He's a little young now but I'm sure he'll be able to imagine a giant Pacific Octopus, a shark, and the tall haunted lighthouse.

click here

When a real cat inspires a Cabin Creek Mystery

Leon, guarding the fish tank

Our neighbor's cat, Leon, often visits when he sees my husband and me in the garden or on our deck reading. Sometimes he brings us a wiggly mouse or a sad little bird, but mostly he likes lounging near us. When he jumps on the table we grab our coffees just before he knocks them over, then with a dramatic flop he settles in with purring.  Click here for a link to the book on Amazon. I hope you enjoy meeting Leon in THE SHADOW AT SHARK COVE where the cousins try to solve the mystery of the disappearing octopus.

Our good neighbor, Leon

3rd graders love Cabin Creek Mysteries

A wonderful surprise just made my day. My post office box was stuffed with letters from 3rd graders in North Carolina. In various degrees of beautiful penmanship with charming drawings, they explained that their teacher reads two chapters a day to them. They were thrilled with the stories, but "very, very sad" that #8 was about to end. "Please write more," they said. In a separate note their teacher added,
       I wanted you to see how your Cabin Creek Mysteries have motivated my 3rd-grade students to love mysteries. Recently one of my students came to me all excited that he had found book 9 in your CCM. Naturally I had to add it to my collection. We are currently writing mysteries in class and many students have incorporated your books into their story. Thanks for helping my students love "read alouds".
     My pleasure! And thank you to teachers and parents who pass on a love of story to children. I'm privileged to be part of this adventure, and 'very, very happy' to tell them #10 is on the way: "The Curse of Shark Cove," set in a California town by the sea.

NEW Cabin Creek Mystery

Hello everyone! I'm happy to announce a new Cabin Creek Mystery: Danger on Lost Island.

       The cousins are excited for their first campout on Lost Island with their friends Vimila and Anupam [from #8: The Case of the Spying Drone].  When they hear distressing cries of an animal and from their Lookout Tower see what appears to be a baby bear on the shore of Grizzly Paw Wilderness, limping and shivering, they want to save it. They fear its ferocious mother however, especially after discovering that a bear has ravaged their fort and food. Plans for rescue are thwarted by a storm, making it dangerous to row across the inlet.  Worse though, their boat has come untied and is drifting out onto the lake: They're stranded! Growing hungrier by the hour the five kids must decide how to safely leave the island before their parents begin to worry.

      And stay tuned for Cabin Creek #10! I'm working on The Curse of Shark Cove and can't wait to share it with you. Here's a quick peek: Jeff, David, and Claire travel to California to visit their cousin Bronte Bella, who lives in Gray's Beach [from my middle-grade novel Bronte's Book Club]. The four cousins have a surprising adventure in this small town by the sea, where strange and unexplained things are happening.

new release: The Great Railroad Race

RL 4th-6th grade

Hello Readers!
     I'm happy to announce new editions of The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory 1868.
     Originally published in Scholastic's Dear America series, it's now available in paperback and on Kindle:
     As the daughter of a newspaper reporter, fourteen-year-old Libby keeps a diary account of the exciting events surrounding her during the building of the railroad in the West in 1868.
     I had a blast researching this momentous time in American history and exploring Promontory Summit Utah with our teenage sons. With the Wasatch Mountains in the background, it was a thrill to witness a reenactment: the chugging-chugging of Locomotive No. 119, its smokestack billowing steam and its shrill whistle as it met nose-to-nose with Jupiter. Years earlier I had lived in Salt Lake City blocks from Brigham Young's house and other spots featured in this story. Being able to see and touch historic sites has always enriched my imagination, and made writing so much fun.
    And for fans of Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express, I wove in scenes with Jimmy, Nahanee and their "little surprise." I hope you enjoy these new editions!

neighborhood library

Poppy loves our library

Boise's Library! at Cole & Ustick received a Gold LEED certification for its green features and sustainable design. "Flowing" river rock and xeri-scape gives it a beautiful Idaho feel. And here's Poppy, super excited about the electric vehicle charging station.

Mandarin translations

 Look what FedEx just delivered! Chinese translations for Scholastic Royal Diaries.

I don't have links yet, but here they are for the English:

Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia 1743

Cleopatra: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt 57 B.C.