Mystery in Crooked Creek Woods by Amanda Cleary Eastep
StoryJumpers
Friday, May 26, 2023 -
Book four in the Tree Street Kids series: Something fishy is going on in Crooked Creek Woods. Does it have anything to do with the weird lights coming from Ruthie’s neighbor’s yard? Or are the kids’ imaginations running away with them?
After all, Jack and Ellison have been hard at work writing a mystery. The Tree Street Kids decide to investigate. Not only do they discover what’s been hidden for centuries in the woods, they also learn about placing their trust in the adults who love and care for them . . . but not before placing themselves in peril.
Adventures, friendships, and faith-testers . . . all under the watchful eye of a great big God.
The Tree Street Kids live on Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Pine, but their 1990s suburban neighborhood is more than just quiet, tree-lined streets. Jack, Ellison, Roger, and Ruthie face challenges and find adventures in every creek and cul-de-sac—as well as God’s great love in one small neighborhood.
In the book series, set in the 1990s in the suburbs of Chicago, Amanda Cleary Eastep invites kids to be part of a group of friends who face challenges that don’t extend too far beyond the borders of their neighborhood.
By engaging readers’ imaginations, her hope is that they will laugh, learn, and grow in their faith right along with the Tree Street Kids and their families. The opportunity for diverse friendships may not have been as common in the suburbs in the ’90s as they are today, but Amanda wants to encourage kids, wherever they live, to be open to having friendships that reflect the diversity of the Creator.
Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s writer, and the Tree Street Kids is her debut series. Amanda knows kids because she’s still one at heart. When she is forced to act like an adult, she edits nonfiction books by grown-up authors.
Amanda’s children’s writing has been published in Ladybug, The Friend, Sunday school curriculum, and at Story Warren. As a longtime writer, she’s contributed to Christianity Today, Think Christian, and many other print and online publications. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and she leads writing workshops at her local teen center.
Learn more about her books at https://treestreetkids.com
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