Additional information
by Carrie Cross (Author)
Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins plans to become a private detective like her grandfather. Stuck at her bullying cousin Gwendolyn's Malibu estate for the summer, Skylar brings her fingerprinting kit, portable spy tools, and her journal for taking notes in secret code. She had no idea how dangerous the next eight weeks would prove to be.
As soon as Skylar gets to Malibu, mysterious things begin to happen. She discovers a hidden garden behind a rusted gate in Gwendolyn's huge back yard. Her new friend Kat, who claims to be a witch, recognizes magical elements throughout the garden and declares it the perfect place to perform spells.
"We are going to grow gems."
"Grow what?" There was no way I heard her right.
Kat's eyes gleamed. "Gems. You know, rubies, emeralds, sapphires? Gems!"
Ignoring the rising tide, they sneak down to the beach at midnight and search three caves for magic seeds to plant in the abandoned garden. Practical Skylar didn't believe in magic. Until their spells appear to be working.
Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills has been a #1 Best Seller in Children's Detective ebooks, Children's Fantasy & Supernatural Mystery ebooks, Children's Sword & Sorcery Fantasy ebooks, and Children's ebooks: Mystery & Detectives/Spies, and received the Reader's Favorite 5-star award.
5 stars: Spellbinding! Review by GemTones on November 15, 2014Fans of Nancy Drew and Harry Potter alike will love this fast-paced blend of detective action, mystery, witchcraft, and magic.
Author Biography
Carrie Cross is an avid reader who fell in love with books as a little girl after reading Goodnight Moon. She wrote her first "book" at age four: Blackie the Little Black Dog and the Flying Washing Machine. Carrie discovered her love of mysteries reading Nancy Drew books and The Happy Hollisters series, and after writing THE MYSTERY OF SHADOW HILLS, she continues to look for clues in unexpected places to this day. Carrie Cross's influences include Judy Blume, Deb Caletti, Sarah Dessen, and Lee Child. In addition to writing Skylar Robbins mysteries and reading, Carrie loves to cook, hike at the beach, go boating, and travel. During a recent interview she was asked, "Where do you get your inspiration?" "When I was six years old, my parents decided we needed to buy a bigger house. We looked at a creepy two-story in Santa Monica Canyon, and I played hide-and-seek with the little girl who lived there. There were closets and secret hiding places with doors that opened into other rooms. Later, I wondered, "What if there was a clue hidden in one of those closets?" And the idea for the Skylar Robbins mystery series was born. Skylar's adventures continue in THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN JEWELS. After she solves her second big case, the Skylar Robbins Detective Agency tackles THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING HEIRESS. Carrie Cross is currently at work on her fourth Skylar Robbins novel, THE CURSE OF KOMA ISLAND. Follow Carrie on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teendetectiveskylar and at www.carrie-cross.com.
