Most Popular Books by Joan Lowery Nixon

After being robbed by someone he knows, Eddie Compo becomes a victim of his own fear.

It's the autumn of 1863, and as the Civil War rages, a stranger named Violet seeks refuge with the Kelly family. Peg Kelly, 11, is thrilled—Violet treats her like an adult, not a child. Violet is fleeing Confederate raiders and has information that may save the Union. But she can't deliver her message unless she takes a dangerous journey.

It's 1861, and although Mike Kelly is far younger than the legal age of 16, he and his best friend Todd secretly join up with the Second Kansas Infantry and become army drummer boys. Mike's dreams of glory end when he's wounded at the bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek and must begin a dangerous adventure behind enemy lines.

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes The Trap from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon. Julie has the perfect summer plan. She’ll be with her friends on the swim team, and this year, for the first time, they have a chance to make the Interstates. So when her family tells her she’s being sent to spend the summer with her great-aunt and great-uncle at Rancho del Oro, their ranch in Texas, she feels resentful. Once she’s at Rancho del Oro, however, Julie quickly learns that something strange is going on. Pieces of jewelry and other little objects are missing. The older people on the ranch say they may have misplaced the items—but something doesn’t add up. Julie’s Uncle Gabe only broke his ankle when he fell down the stairs from his observatory, but two other men on the ranch have recently died. The deaths have been ruled accidents, but were they? When Julie figures out that Uncle Gabe’s fall was not an accident, she knows she must discover the killer’s identity. Or she could be next. Joan Lowery Nixon expertly combines a family story with a compelling mystery to keep her readers guessing until the very end. “With its twists and turns, this page-turner is a must for mystery fans.” –School Library Journal “[The Trap] maintains a fast pace, with likeable, interesting characters and a dash of romance.” –VOYA “A teen reader can identify with…Julie.” –Kirkus Reviews

Sixteen-year-old Cassie, daughter of a famous comedienne, wishes she could spend more time with her sought-after mother and at the same time be recognized as a separate identity.

Irish immigrant Rose Carney has a difficult life in Chicago. She’s working to help pay for her mother’s and sisters’ passages, dealing with her father’s drinking problem, and worrying about her brothers’ involvement in questionable activities. Rose becomes committed to a campaign to clean up Chicago and fight for world peace, but she knows her family responsibilities come first. With everything that’s happening in her life, can Rose hold on to her American dream?

Sean gets his chance at stardom, but a Hollywood jinx stands in his way A movie is being filmed in Redoaks, and Sean Quinn wants to be a part of it. The movie is called New Guy in Town, and it stars famous child actors Dakota Wayne and Justin Moore. The director needs someone to serve as Justin's stand-in on the set, and when he sees Sean, he knows he's found the right boy. Sean may not end up on screen, but he is going to be part of a movie! That is, if the movie ever gets made. Hollywood insiders have been whispering from the start that New Guy in Town is jinxed. The production moved to Redoaks after fires, theft, and injuries derailed the original attempt to film in Hollywood. And as the filmmakers try to get back on track, the jinx keeps rearing its ugly head. To make sure he gets his shot at the big time, Sean and his brother Brian will have to find out who's behind the accidents before the cameras roll.

When Shirley convinces her husband Claude to help fulfill their adopted daughter's dream of a visit from Santa, she doesn't reckon on the real Santa Claus showing up at their place in Texas.

On a walk in the woods, Sean and Brian find a scary footprint Sean Quinn does not like the sound of spending a weekend in a neighborhood named Grizzly Hill. Although his friend Alan assures him the development has been bear-free for a century, Sean is not convinced. The woods are thick and dark, and there's an old grizzly den not far from Alan's house. And when Brian discovers a strange footprint on a forest path, Sean starts to wish he had stayed at home with Mrs. Peabody, the babysitter. She's not any fun, but at least she's not a bear! Brian decides the print is too small to be a full-grown grizzly, but it could be a cub. Against Sean's wishes, they follow the tracks into the forest. If there are bears in the woods, Brian wants to know. And if the animal is something even stranger, he can't wait to find out!

In 1879 seventeen-year-old Sarah travels from Chicago to the violent town of Leadtown, Colorado, to locate her missing father, but she finds that the mention of his name brings her strange looks and an attempt on her life.

A defensive twelve-year-old comes to understand her father, a busy Hollywood director planning to remarry, after she is exiled for the summer to the everyday life of her grandmother's house in Houston.

While on vacation at a dude ranch, the Casebusters chase a horse thief Sean and Brian Quinn can't think of anywhere cooler than the Austin Dude Ranch. Although neither has ever ridden a horse, they're positive that playing cowboy is going to become their favorite pastime. But before they can learn to rope and ride, they're going to have to practice their other favorite hobby: solving mysteries. A racehorse has been stolen from the neighboring farm, and the ranch's owners think that their horses may be the next to disappear. To find the missing pony, Brian and Sean will have to confront something even more scary than horse thieves: the ghost of the crazy old gold prospector who is said to haunt a nearby abandoned mine. Whether the culprit is living or dead, Brian and Sean must catch him faster than they can say, "Giddy-up!"

Ann, a young girl in eighteenth-century Williamsburg, wants to become a doctor like her father, but she is not allowed even to study Latin or mathematics.

Joan Lowery Nixon is the acclaimed author of more than a hundred books for young readers. Over the years, many of her readers have written to her to ask how they, too, can become published writers someday. From her first publication at age ten to her graduation from Hollywood High during World War II, this memoir, which includes advice as well as anecdotes, is her answer. Listening to her favorite programs on the radio, performing puppet shows at orphanages and hospitals, and writing love poems for high school classmates to send to soldiers overseas all planted the seeds from which a prolific writing career grew. Joan Lowery Nixon never forgot what her ninth-grade journalism teacher told her: “A writer must always have faith in herself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.” Both informative and entertaining, The Making of a Writer is a charming look at one writer’s beginnings. “Nixon tucks her tips into a memoir that stands alone…A delightful look back at a time and a life.” –Booklist “Her writing is clear and interesting, admirably blending her personal history, that of the nation, life lessons, and writing tips…[readers] will appreciate the insights she offers into her own life as well as the development of her signature style.” –VOYA “A lively read…[with] clear and concise advice to writers.” –School Library Journal “A lighthearted biography…It is a nicely focused take on something about the author.” –Kirkus Reviews

Great middle greats fiction.

The s'eance started as a game, but it led to murder and terror for the people of a small east Texas community.

The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye