Gallopade International | Pretty Darn Scary Press Release
CHILDREN'S AUTHOR'S PRETTY DARN SCARY MYSTERIES
HAVE ROOT IN SPOOKY SAVANNAH CHILDHOOD!
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA—Children's book author Carole Marsh's first visit to Savannah was "before I was born," she says. "When it was time to go back home to Atlanta, I hid anyplace I could find—in the fountain at Forsyth Park, for example—hoping desperately to be left behind!"
Today, the author has her wish. From an iron gazebo in her Savannah home in a 100-year-old cotton factory turned loft on East Oglethorpe Street, she gazes out over Colonial Cemetery and conjures up mystery book after mystery book to intrigue young readers ages 6–14. "I was a reluctant reader once," Marsh says. "I know what it takes to keep kids turning the page!"
This is somewhat of an understatement. Marsh has been writing mysteries for more than 20 years. "I'm certain that it was spending time in Savannah that gave me my penchant for mystery book writing," Marsh claims. "My uncle Jack's house on Barnard Street was the ultimate spooky place from attic to basement. Factor's Walk, the Pirate's House, the cemeteries, the trees that looked like they could gobble you up, Tybee Island in a storm, the nooks and crannies of Fort Pulaski—why just the name Thunderbolt gave me chills up my spine! How could I not become a mystery book writer?"
Currently Marsh is the author of five mystery series with a new one, Pretty Darn Scary, "hot off the press!" But don't worry—they're not too scary. What they are is high-interest literature designed to captivate young imaginations with the intriguing language of legend...lore...history...mystery...and so much more. The first in the series, The Ghost of Pickpocket Plantation, is set in Savannah and incorporates much of what makes the author love the South. Of course this is also why the second book, The Secret of Skullcracker Swamp "is in" the Okeefenokee Swamp. "What's a little different about this series is that readers will learn about fascinating, less-known locations and at the same time become engaged and build empathy for the characters" Sherry Moss, Vice-President of New Product Development explains. "Kids—as well as their parents—will not be able to put the book down."
Teachers and Media Specialists are the first to recommend these books, which are all part of the Accelerated Reader (AR) program and a winner of Learning Magazine's
Teacher's Choice Award for the Family. "Kids are so jazzed by her books," one third-grade teacher explained, "that they don't want the book to end. They write additional chapters, bug the author for more books—so the read and write aspect of Marsh's mysteries is a bonanza for educators and kids alike."
But there's more. Marsh's mystery books slam-dunk the "Bet you have fun, bet you get smarter" combo with outstanding writing geared to turn kids on to words. There are glossaries in the back of all the books and activities that kids can do when they visit Gallopade's mystery website.
And what happens when Marsh turns up at a school where kids have read one of her books, written their own, maybe been on a mystery field trip, and are otherwise pretty much tied up in a frenzy of mystery madness? The school media centers can't keep the books on the shelves. "Ever since Ms. Marsh's visit last month at our school, I can not keep her books on the shelves", reports Kedron Elementary Media Specialist Margie Ausborn. "I had to order a whole other set just to try and keep up with the kids' reading!"
When Marsh, in her gazebo, was grilled about some of the mysterious tidbits in her books, she put me off by daydreaming aloud about the time on Barnard Street when her Uncle Jack nodded at a one-legged man sitting in the corner of the dark and shuttered bedroom. "The man hobbled up and pulled a key from his pocket," Marsh reminisces. "He unlocked a gigantic padlock on a tall safe in the room. Then he pulled out a black sack, tucked in under his arm, relocked the safe, nodded to my uncle, and left the room. Now, what I wonder, was in that sack?" Marsh moves her hands apart and around in a circular shape. "It was about the size of a head, I think. I was twelve at the time . . ." Uh-oh: Sounds like a new Carole Marsh Mystery coming on even as we speak!
Carole Marsh Mysteries are available at bookstores and school supply stores everywhere. For more information, visit www.carolemarshmysteries.com or call 800-536-2438.
