Lantern Sam is the wise-cracking, sarcastic, talking cat (for those who can hear him, that is) who lives onboard the Lake Erie Shoreliner train and is one of the best detectives no one knows about. He doesn't have much patience for humans (unless they bring him sardines), but when 10-year-old traveler Henry can't find his new friend, the exuberant Ellie, Sam's enlisted to help. A ransom note is soon discovered and just like that, Sam and Henry are on the case, with the help of Clarence the Conductor (who supplies Sam's sardines). But is Ellie still on board the train? Did the salesman with his trunk full of samples sneak her off? And why does that couple keep acting so suspicious?
Veteran middle-grade mystery author Michael D. Beil has crafted a hilarious and appealing adventure set in the 1930s that's chock-full of quirky characters, red herrings, and all with an irresistible cat at its center.

With their father en route to Africa for Doctors Without Borders, city-kids Nicholas and younger twin sisters Haley and Hetty are off to spend the summer with their Great-Uncle Nick at his house on Forsaken Lake. Despite some initial doubts, Nicholas is right at home in the country: he learns to sail, learns about his father as a boy, and makes fast friends with a local-girl, the tomboy Charlie.
The summer takes a turn toward the mysterious, though, when Nicholas discovers an old movie that his father made as a boy: it tells the story of the local legend, The Seaweed Strangler, but was never finished. Before long Nicholas wants answers both about the legend, and about the movie. Together, he and Charlie work to uncover the truth and discover some long-buried family secrets along the way.
In this lovely middle-grade novel, Michael D. Beil has invoked one of his own favorites, "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea," as well as other great summer books of years-past.

"With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, "The Red Blazer Girls "represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- "Huffington Post"'s 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
When there are mysteries to be solved, the Red Blazer Girls are on the case The discovery of the Ring of Rocamadour has secured the girls' reputation as Upper East Side super-sleuths, bringing many sundry job requests (no mystery too small, right?) and some unwanted attention from crooks. This time the girls must follow a trail of cryptic clues, involving everything from logic to literature, to trace a rare violin gone missing. But nothing is as it appears, and just as a solution seems imminent, the girls find themselves scrambling to save the man who was once their prime suspect. Bowstrings and betrayal, crushes and codes abound in this suspenseful companion to the Red Blazer Girls' 2009 debut. Recent clues indicate that there'll be more mystery and mayhem to come

"From the Hardcover edition."

"With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, "The Red Blazer Girls "represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- "Huffington Post"'s 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
It all began with The Scream. And ended with . . . well, if we told you that, it wouldn't be a mystery But in between The Scream and The Very Surprising Ending, three friends find themselves on a scavenger hunt set up for a girl they never met, in search of a legendary ring reputed to grant wishes. Are these sleuths in school uniforms modern-day equivalents of Nancy, Harriet, or Scooby? Not really, they're just three nice girls who decide to help out a weird lady, and end up hiding under tables, tackling word puzzles and geometry equations, and searching rather moldy storage rooms for "the stuff that dreams are made of" (that's from an old detective movie). Oh, and there's A Boy, who complicates things. As boys often do.
Intrigued? "The Red Blazer Girls "offers a fun, twisty adventure for those who love mystery, math (c'mon, admit it ), and a modest measure of mayhem.
Michael Beil, a New York City high school English teacher, makes his literary debut with this fun and brainy mystery.

"From the Hardcover edition."

"With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, "The Red Blazer Girls "represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- "Huffington Post"'s 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are back in an all-new Red Blazer Girls caper. In the third installment, Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan's dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and mystery follows as the girls attempt to uncover the truth. Oh, and, uh, Sophie's friend-who-is-not-a-boyfriend, Raf, is back. . . . Here's another charming and engaging adventure starring these four every-girl sleuths that's perfect for readers 10-up.

"From the Hardcover edition."