From the Author

Extending Storytime—Without Turning Your Kitchen Into a Classroom Children’s books don’t have to end on the last page. When I create free teacher resources to go with my books, I’m not imagining rows of desks and lesson plans. I’m imagining kitchen tables, couches, rainy afternoons, and ten extra minutes together before bedtime. You don’t need to be a teacher to use teacher resources. Think of them as simple ways to extend storytime. A 32-page story can become a conversation, a drawing, a mystery to solve, or even a memory. Follow the Theme Every story is about something beyond the plot....

(And Why Solving the Story Can Matter More Than Finishing It) Not every child falls in love with reading immediately. Some children devour books. Others wiggle, wander, negotiate for one more snack, and suddenly need to reorganize their sock drawer. That’s normal. One thing teachers and parents often notice, though, is that mystery stories can feel different. Mysteries give readers a job. Instead of simply moving from page to page, children begin asking questions: What happened? Who did it? What am I missing? That tiny shift can make reading feel more active—and sometimes more fun. Mystery Creates Momentum In many...

There’s More to Reading Than Giggles (Although Giggles Are Important) Children’s books are often expected to do one of two things: make children laugh or teach them something. But some of my favourite books growing up did something quieter. They let me experience things I hadn’t lived yet. I still remember reading stories where characters had to make difficult choices, disappoint someone, try something embarrassing, be brave, be wrong, forgive someone, or simply see the world differently. Not because someone stopped the story to explain the lesson. The story itself did the work. Children understand more than we sometimes give...

Award-winning author Janice Garden Macdonald celebrates another milestone as Two Hours to Bedlam earns the 2026 PenCraft Award for Fiction – Humor, recognizing its sharp wit, quirky characters, and delightfully offbeat storytelling. This latest honor highlights the novel’s unique blend of small-town mystery and comedic chaos, further establishing Macdonald’s signature voice in contemporary cozy fiction. Now proudly sitting alongside her acclaimed debut Atomic Sunset, Two Hours to Bedlam continues the journey into the strange and unforgettable world of the Route 66 mysteries—where nothing is quite what it seems, and even the most peculiar towns have stories worth telling. BEDLAM IS...

🕵️♂️ This Case Stinks! — A Mystery for Kids Who “Don’t Like Reading” If you have a child who says,“I don’t like reading,”this book is for them. Not every kid wants long chapters, big paragraphs, or stories that take forever to get going. Some kids want to figure things out. They want to look, guess, decide—and be right. That’s exactly what This Case Stinks! is all about. Instead of telling kids a story from beginning to end, this book invites them to become detectives. Each section asks simple, engaging questions: Who was there? What happened? Where did it happen? When...