Most Popular Books by Joan Lowery Nixon

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes Nobody’s There from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon. Furious at her father for breaking up their family, Abbie Thompson acted without thinking and got arrested for malicious mischief. Now the judge has assigned her to volunteer in a program that matches teens with the elderly. But Abbie doesn’t get just any elderly person. She gets Edna Merkel, a cranky, difficult woman who’s a member of the town’s crime prevention group. In fact, Mrs. Merkel is too active a member, and after she brags that she’s on to something big, she is attacked and ends up hospitalized. Suddenly the private investigator game is real, and only Abbie—with the help of Mrs. Merkel’s indecipherable notebook—can figure out who did it. But will Abbie get to the assailant before the assailant gets to her? “Fast-paced and involving.” –Kirkus Reviews “Well drawn and distinct…Nixon’s fans will no doubt enjoy.” –School Library Journal “Another great mystery.” –VOYA

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

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes The Stalker from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon. When Jennifer Lee Wilcox returns home from the beach, she finds that Stella Trax, her best friend’s mother, has just been murdered. The police think Stella’s daughter Bobbie did it. Jennifer sets out to prove Bobbie’s innocence, but as she uncovers clues, she realizes she’s only leading herself to danger! “An exciting, fast-moving thriller.” –VOYA “A dandy suspense tale.” –Publishers Weekly

While working on a local TV news show, Brian gets the scoop of a lifetime Brian Quinn signed up for journalism class expecting an easy A. But as he quickly finds out, there''s nothing simple about reporting the news. Brian is nervous when his teacher asks him to appear on That''s News 2 Me—a local news program run by children—but he goes along with it, hoping for a chance to hang out with Estella, the class''s star student. But when he starts reporting his story, this kid reporter stumbles on a very grown-up crime. A burglar has been raiding Redoaks, breaking into houses and making off with expensive electronic equipment. And when Brian tries to report on the High-Tech Burglar, his producer tells him to stay away from the story. But when a clue to the burglar''s identity falls into his lap, Brian is faced with a tough decision. Should he disobey the producer and break the news to the world, or let a criminal go free?

When a spoiled kid disappears, the Casebusters go spelunking with a pirate''s ghost Sean and Brian Quinn have never liked Lester Hopper. The seven-year-old is spoiled rotten, and looks down on every kid he knows—even the ones who are taller than him! But one night, Lester disappears and a ransom note warns the Hoppers not to contact the police. The Casebusters are going to need to solve their most serious mystery yet—a possible kidnapping. Before he disappeared, Lester was diagnosed with a lung infection, and he needs to take his medicine again soon or he''ll get very sick indeed. But was Lester kidnapped, or did he run away? Whatever the answer, all the clues point to one destination: the town''s oldest cave, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of a dead pirate. To save Lester, Brian and Sean will have to match wits with a swashbuckler who''s been dead for centuries.

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.

Moving and inspiring stories of the immigrant experience are offered up in this eOmni edition comprised of three novels from Joan Lowery Nixon’s historical fiction series, Ellis Island. Each story features a unique teenage girl’s perspective—one from Russia, one from Ireland, and one from Sweden. In Land of Hope, Russian immigrant Rebekah Levinsky settles with her family on the Lower East Side of New York and soon realizes that the roads are not paved with gold. In Land of Promise, Irish immigrant Rose Carney arrives in Chicago to a life filled with family responsibilities that impede on her dreams of independence. And in Land of Dreams, Swedish immigrant Kristin Swensen’s family lives on a farm in Minnesota, but her parents still cling to the life they’d known in Sweden. Follow their journeys as Rebekah, Rose, and Kristin—and their families— struggle to find the courage, faith, and resilience they’ll need to conquer the odds, find their independence, and realize the American dream.

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.

Ten-year-old Lucy Griggs''s mother has just died, leaving Lucy orphaned and living on the streets of 1866 New York City. Then Lucy hears about the Children''s Aid Society, a group that sends orphans out West to new homes. Lucy knows she''ll never replace her mum, but maybe now she''ll find a family--and even a little sister--to love. But the family that takes her in is far from ideal. Mr. Snapes seems kind, but Mrs. Snapes is a bitter, angry woman. And Emma isn''t the sister Lucy has dreamed of. Emma is a girl who people call "simple." Can Lucy learn to love this less-than-perfect family?

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.

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?

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

Sarah risks her life to clear her murdered father''s name and expose big time criminal activity in the lawless mining town of Leadville. Sequel to "High Trail to Danger."

When the writer Duncan Tyler is found dead, the question is who was that upset by his new book and why was he blackmailing people?

Sixteen-year-old Mary Elizabeth''s summer job at an expensive health club turns out to be more exciting than she bargained for when a series of mysterious events culminate in murder.

When they are left with a mysterious, witchlike babysitter on Halloween, Susan and Mike try to figure out whether she really has magical powers.

Deeply unhappy about her family''s separation because of poverty, Megan gradually finds contentment and purpose in her new home on the Kansas prairie with a kind and loving adopted family.