Books in Progress

          Kate and Amy, 11-year-old twin sisters, like to solve mysteries for their friends. They tackle cases ranging from stolen earrings to a lost computer password, from invisible writing to a hidden treasure chest. But the biggest mystery for the Bloodhound Detective Agency lies within their own family. As Kate and Amy follow the clues locked away in an old trunk, they learn one of them was adopted. But which one?

          Two pre-teens from the opposite side of the world develop a supernatural connection through their nightly dreams. As the mystical bond between them strengthens, events from their lives and aspects of their personalities cross over to the other person. Alex falls off his bike, and Jane wakes up with a skinned knee. Jane tutors a friend, and Alex gets better in math. Eventually, Jane, in the United States, and Alex, in Australia, connect with each other.

          Arabella loves being a knight, but she hates the king's new dress code. She wants to wear her colorful tights, not boring, scratchy leggings. Luckily, when she faces the dragon, she has her tights handy. (520 words)

          Firefighter Sue opens a box of chicks left at the firehouse door and mayhem ensues. The fire captain banishes the chicks, but when the fire alarm doesn't work, it's up to them to save the day. (190 words)

          All the monsters are ready to party, but not poor Vampire Joe. He's sad because his fang is loose. Sophie rallies the monsters to cheer up Joe. At the Monster Town party, she and Joe count dancing skeletons, rowdy goblins, grumpy ogres, and other monsters. When Joe's fang finally falls out, Sophie tells him it's time for the Tooth Troll to pay a visit. (600 words)

          Jennica can't seem to keep her busy hands out of trouble. No matter how hard she tries, catastrophes occur-books tumble, milk splatters, and sheep escape. Then Jennica solves the problem of what to do with her busy hands. She asks her grandpa to teach her how to knit. (520 words)

          Six-year-old Rivka, a bright and clever girl living on the Lower East Side in 1910, can't wait to go to school. But Mama needs Rivka at home to watch her little sister Miriam. So, enterprising Rivka enlists her neighbors to teach her writing, arithmetic, and history. In return, she helps at the grocery store, the tailor shop, and the apartment next door. (685 words plus back matter and glossary)

          Ada Byron Lovelace was NOT a proper Victorian woman. More than one hundred years before the invention of the electronic computer, she was the world's first programmer. Ada predicted future applications for computers and was a true visionary. This biography, for ages 4 to 8, showcases the life of a woman mathematician in the 1800s. (1,000 words plus back matter)

          "Bugs that crawl and bugs that creep. Skitter, scramble, hop and leap. Bugs that soar bugs that and fly. Swoop and loop and flutter by." My Bug Collection includes poems about stinkbugs and ladybugs, skeeters and honeybees, and many more. (20 poems)