Case of the Missing Sock

Renee Hand's book, The Case of the Missing Sock, is a delightful mystery for kids. It's part of the Crypto-Capers series about a group of children and a granny who are gifted with abilities that allow them to solve mysteries. The gifts are not supernatural, just unusually strong talents and intelligence.

It was fun to watch the characters unravel the clues and young readers will enjoy figuring out the cryptological messages left by the thief for what turns out to be a believable reason.

Although this book is second in a series and some references to earlier events are not explained in detail, it stands alone comfortably.

However there is one problem with it. The publishing house, North Star Press, is in need of a good copy editor. The dozens of errors, such as misused homonyms, were annoying and pulled me out of the story. But, unlike a college English major like me, most kids who read the book probably won't even notice the mistakes and will simply enjoy the mystery.

Folk Song for Writers

Would you like to be a professional writer? If so, you might be interested in something I wrote many years ago. It's a little bit silly, but true.

Advice

by

Janet Ann Collins

( To the tune of Get Along Home, Cindy)

“I’d like to write some novels

And stories, books, and rhymes.

I want to write some articles

And sell them every time.”

“Sit down and write,

Then you mend ‘em.

Sit down and write,” I say.

“Sit down and write,

Mend ‘em, send ’em.

That’s how you’ll sell someday.”

Shroud of Turin

A story about the Shroud of Turin is in the news today. A scientist named Luigi Garlaschelli is supposed to have shown that the Shroud isn't real. Maybe I should send him a copy of my book, The Peril of the Sinister Scientist, which is about a kid who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who worked on that experiment is stalking him.

Nah. Even if he speaks English he probably wouldn't want to read a fiction book. And, anyway, I don't know how to contact him.

What to Eat

My mother used to insist we eat our "Good red meat" first because back in the 1940s everyone 'knew' that was the healthiest food. Of course now we know it's high in bad cholesterol and not good for us.

There used to be seven basic food groups that everyone was supposed to eat every day. Let's see if I can remember what they were. Protein foods, green vegetables, yellow, and orange vegetables, fruits, dairy foods (which included eggs,) and carbohydrate foods are all I can think of. That list was replaced by five basic foods and now there's a food pyramid. Who knows what basic food lists will be created in the future?

Of course there are lots of other ways some people think we should eat in order to be healthy including the Cave Man, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

So how should we feed our kids?

While we don't all agree on the best way to eat, we do know obesity is unhealthy and has caused lots of people to have serious health problems. Most people agree that a lot of fast food is unhealthy, but busy people often don't think they have time to cook from scratch.

My advice is to listen to Aristotle and have moderation in all things. Unless there's a medical reason to avoid certain foods, we should be sure our children get as varied a diet as possible and try not to overdo any one kind of food.

Giving Thanks

Yes, I know the traditional time to talk about giving thanks is at the end of November, but it's a good idea to express gratitude all year long.

A few weeks ago I was crossing a street where work was being done and traffic was only allowed through in one direction at a time. Since there was a break in the traffic I thanked the woman who was directing it and she was amazed. She said a few minutes earlier someone had called her a name which I won't repeat here because she'd made them wait.

Once a lot of work was being done on a street in front of a house where I used to live because wires were being moved under ground and some repairs were needed. Every few days a crew from a utility company would dig up the street, work in the hole for a while, and fill it in until the next crew came out to work on it, usually a few days later.

The work had been going on for weeks when I called the city public works department to ask if they knew when it would all be completed. After getting the estimated date I mentioned that I appreciated the landscaping they had done a few blocks away.

There was a moment of silence. Then, with a choked voice the man told me that was the only expression of gratitude he had ever gotten. Usually he just had to listen to complaints all day long.

Both those people were thankful for my thanks and reminded me how important it is to express gratitude to those who serve us even if that service is sometimes an inconvenience. The mail carrier who brings bills, the cashier who takes extra time helping a customer in line, the police officer who gives a ticket, and those who repair our streets and utilities are not only doing their jobs. In a small way they're helping to make the world a better place.

Please join me in thanking them and all the others who deserve our gratitude.

Thank you.

Songs for a Teenage Nomad

I seldom review books for young adults but recently read a YA novel that's so good it had to be shared. Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson is too edgy for younger readers because of the sorts of problems Calle, the protagonist, experiences, but it's so beautifully written I couldn't resist telling you about it.

Calle's single mother has kept moving around and changing boyfriends for her daughter's entire life so the girl has never been able to have friends or feel like she belonged anywhere. Finally they've arrived in a community where Calle (pronounced like Callie) develops relationships. Then her life falls apart again.

The plot is exciting, the characters are realistic, and the writing is beautiful and poetic.

I highly recommend this book for teens who like to read.

Amazing Award!

Guess what! I just won a Newberry Award.

Before you get excited, let me explain that it's not the Newbery Medal for the year's best books for children. (Oh, how I'd love to get one of those.)

When the authors and illustrators with Guardian Angel Publishing who live near the West Coast of the US met in Oregon last week we had a tour of the Newberry Volcanic Monument. Just for fun our publisher, Lynda Burch, agreed to create the Newberry Award for those of us who were on that tour. Here it is: