Mystery in Crooked Creek Woods (Tree Street Kids)

Mystery in Crooked Creek Woods helps kids avoid jumping to conclusions and allow truth to guide their perspective.

Brief overview: 

When it appears someone is stealing artifacts from the forest preserve, Jack and Elliott decide to track down the culprit. But will Jack's prejudices get in the way of finding the thief?

Recommended age range: 8-12

Strengths: 

• Eastep creates a double mystery through the plot and the piece Jack and Elliott are writing for a young author's writing contest.
• The author continues to accurately describe the 90s and connect young readers to that time.
• Eastep weaves facts and history into the storyline in natural ways.

Additional Notes:

• This is book 4 in the Tree Street Kids series.

Overall rating: 7 (out of 10)

Interested in learning more about Amanda? Check out her author interview on my blog.

Amy Houts

 CHILDREN'S AUTHOR INTERVIEW

With an eye for how young children perceive the world around them, gleaned from her years as an early childhood educator, Amy Houts has mastered the art of connecting with the hearts of young readers and instilling meaningful spiritual truths along the way. 

Houts is a seasoned children's author with over 100 children's books under her belt and numerous awards for her writing over the years. And you won't want to miss her upcoming picture book, God's Earth is Something to Fight For releasing this September 2023!

Let's jump into the interview to learn more about Amy and her literary endeavors.

1) Which children's book has most impacted you? Why?

When I was growing up, the book that impacted me the most was the science fiction book, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I was intrigued by the characters, the fantasy, and the fight between good and evil. I didn’t usually read sci-fi. I mainly read mysteries like Nancy Drew. A Wrinkle in Time was unlike anything I had ever read. It made me think. It opened up my mind to see things differently. And it had a female main character who saved her father and her family.

2) What do you love about writing for children?

I love the creative part of writing, processing a problem, a story, an outcome. I love seeing how a character grows. It’s meaningful. 

When I write nonfiction, I love the research and putting the pieces together like a puzzle. For example, last year I wrote Christian Q&A Book for Kids, a book of over 100 faith-based questions and answers for 6 to 9-year-olds . Each included a Bible verse as the basis for the answer. I used knowledge of over 30 years of attending Bible study. I researched, read, and studied answers from a variety of reliable sources. Then wrote the answers using words (I hoped) a child could understand. I was challenged—in a good way—to be the best writer I could be. Writing this book was such an honor. I love taking faith concepts and bringing them down to a child’s level.

3) Your picture book, God's Protection Covers Me, won two awards in 2020. On your website, you share the story about the long road to writing this picture book. Why do you think this book resonates with young readers?

God’s Protection Covers Me takes a difficult faith concept and uses similes to make the concept easier to understand. This picture book features farm and woodland animal homes and compares them to God’s protection. A child might not understand how God’s protects us, but she can understand how a stable protects a horse or a burrow in the ground protects a mole. 

The playful language, rhymes, and charming illustrations by David Creighton-Pester make this book resonate with readers. I’m so thankful for the many people who have told me how much they love this book!

4) As a children's author who has written over 100 titles for both faith-based and secular publications, what elements are essential to communicate to young readers through storytelling?

Storytelling is an essential tool for life. It’s a way we can learn. Readers empathize with the main character. The essential elements or themes I want communicate is that love abides, good wins over evil,  friends make up, and people are essentially good. 

Writing and reading stories make me hopeful. Problems can be solved. Information and knowledge help me understand. These elements are true for both faith-based and secular books.

5) What inspired the idea for The Giant Book of Bible Fingerplays for Preschoolers, a book with Bible stories and Scripture memory to engage little ones with God's Word in active ways?
Fingerplays are short poems acted out with hand and body movements. When I was a preschool teacher, I started group time by reciting a fingerplay, and I thought, this would be a great way to teach Bible stories!

Fingerplays are fun, fast attention-getters. They focus on a key point or a simple story, and they are easy to learn and do. Children enjoy acting out the motions, and it helps to get their wiggles out! Sometimes fingerplays rhyme and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the rhythm is patterned after a nursery rhyme, so you have the option to say or sing them. Here’s a classic: “The Eensy, Weensy Spider.” 

I wrote over 100 Bible fingerplays and submitted them to Group Publishing. After a number of revisions, I was offered a contract!

6) As a former preschool teacher and children's author, how can parents foster a love for reading in children ages 4 and under? 

Read at least one book every night before bed. Go to the library. Allow children to choose books along with the ones you want to check out. Read yourself. Let your child see you reading. Read together aloud or silently. Show children how much fun reading is.

AMY HOUTS is the author of over 100 books for children featuring early learning concepts. She writes for both faith-based and mainstream publishers. Amy’s faith-based books include God’s Protection Covers Me (Beaming Books) and The Giant Book of Bible Fingerplays for Preschoolers (Group Publishing). Amy’s educational books include 60 retold tales for the series, Compass Children’s Classics, 2020. Her 10 nonfiction science early readers for Highlights Press were released in 2020.

Amy and her husband, Steve, live in rural Northwest Missouri, an hour from Steve’s family farm. Amy and Steve are the parents of two grown daughters and three grandchildren.

Amy's Latest Book (releasing September 5, 2023)

A Sampling of Amy's Books