Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein’s
la-BOR-uh-tree?
Upas Street:
Shocking Specter
The Botanic Hill
Detectives Mysteries Book 6
by Sherrill Joseph
Genre: Middle
Grade Paranormal Mystery
Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein’s
la-BOR-uh-tree?
A fearless quartet of teen sleuths, the Botanic Hill detectives, travel to
Llanfair, a fictitious Welsh village in present-day California, to solve the
mystery of the Shocking Specter.
The green-glowing apparition reportedly roams the countryside, setting
fire to buildings and meadows during the new moon. The occurrences began
shortly after a motion picture stagehand Scotty Roberts’s accidental death by
electrocution in this case inspired by the filming of Universal Pictures 1931
classic horror movie Frankenstein.
Supernatural?
Coincidence?
Or is criminal activity at work?
And why, nearly a century later, has the Shocking Specter returned?
Readers will enjoy learning about real-life horror film star Boris
Karloff, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, other key players
in the movie’s production, and some early Hollywood cinematic history. Our fabulous four might need to kick some monsters to the curb to solve
this challenging mystery!
For ages 9 to 14. Adults like this series,
too! My present-day Middle-Grade mysteries have a twist of history,
this time, harking to the filming of 1931’s Universal Pictures classic horror
movieFrankenstein.
It is not within the Young-Adult genre that serves ages 14 to
18.
What
readers are saying:
“Follow our detectives to the fictitious Welsh
settlement of Llanfair, California, as they chase a green-glowing specter and
get caught up in a riveting mystery that will introduce young readers to the
magic of old Hollywood horror movies. Kids will stay intrigued from start to
finish.”
–KIMBERLEY KRAMER, Literacy Specialist, Saint
Katharine Drexel Academy, San Diego, CA
“I loved this book and could not put it down! I
loved learning about the Hollywood monsters from the old-time days and meeting
the people of Llanfair. You will not be sad that you chose this book to read.”
–SOPHIA O., age 10, San Diego, CA
“As a professor of History of Film and Monster
and Character Makeup Design, I was intrigued from the first page of this book!
The Golden Age of Hollywood is brought to life in the eyes of the young
protagonists through their exploration of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein
franchise. Joseph not only captured my attention with the charm and
intelligence of her four detectives but had me searching for clues and secret
messages (Easter eggs) to unravel this horror-movie-inspired mystery. Joseph
includes facts about Boris Karloff that I did not know, which delighted me to
no end. Jack Pierce may have never received an Oscar for his iconic makeup
designs, but he gets a wonderful tribute through this exciting story. A
must-read for mystery lovers and film buffs of all ages.”
–SHARON LYNN, award-winning author of A
Cotswold Crimes Mystery series; aka SHARON BOLMAN, Senior Professor of Digital
Video and General Education, University of Advancing Technology, Tempe, AZ
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**Don’t miss
the rest of the series!**
Find them on Amazon!
Interview With The Author
Q: What do you mean when you say that you write kids’ mysteries with “a twist of obscure history”?
A: I love infusing tidbits of ancient to more recent obscure history into my present-day mysteries to bring the amazing past to life. I do this is potentially help my readers know and make more sense of the world, get a well-rounded perspective of cultures over tiem, and show that history is fun, relevant, and worth learning. It’s the teacher in me!
Q: What are your goals as a writer?
A: 1. I strive to provide my young readers with positive role-model teen characters of varying ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities so kids see themselves on the pages of my books and become accepting, anti-racist citizens, comfortable wherever they find themselves in the world.
- On each case, my role-model detectives demonstrate that being polite, respectful, responsible, and smart is “cool” so that my readers desire to seek and nurture those same qualities within themselves to realize their full potential and give back to society.
- I create kids as heroes in my books because I feel that children are the best people on the planet and don’t get enough credit for being remarkable.
- I create worlds with dangers but also safe havens for young readers and supportive adults nearby so that kids learn how to develop skills and grit to cope with life’s challenges.
- 5. I unlock for kids perhaps obscure historical tidbits that I wrap in current-day mysteries so history comes alive, is relevant, valuable, and fun, offering new heroes from the past.
- I write to entertain, thereby creating proficient readers, writers, questioners, and critical thinkers.
Q: Why are the main characters in The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries so polite, respectful, and smart?
A: I write to bring joy to kids’ lives and hearts, but also to show them through my mature, polite, smart, role-model detective characters how to become their best selves and approach challenges with courage and teamwork to develop grit for life.
Q: What is the “biggest lesson” kids and their gatekeepers can expect to take away from your series?
A: They can improve their lives, therefore, the world, by showing up for challenges as a polite, respectful, open-minded, critically thinking helper. I feel that all my books have many powerful lessons for kids, delivered in a “sugar-coated-vitamin” manner.
Q: Are The Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries a series or standalone books?
A: Both. The books comprise a series, but they stand alone, meaning they can be read in any order. I reintroduce the four detective characters and other important recurring characters in each book. But I connect the books near the beginning by referencing the former case the detectives solved, then mentioning the next case upcoming at the end. I modeled this style after the Nancy Drew mysteries. Don’t worry. There are no spoilers!
Sherrill Joseph was a shy kid whose BFF was
Nancy Drew. From her, the author learned to seek adventures, be kind and fair,
help others everywhere, and become a mystery author someday.
Convinced early on that she was an architect in
a former life, Sherrill was receptive to the magic of her Southern California
neighborhood’s historic houses. To this day, she dramatizes those old
“castles,” filling them with mysteries, staircases, a ghost or two, and
exaggerated occurrences.
The author graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa
cum laude from San Diego State University. Once retired in 2013 after
teaching kids for thirty-five years in the San Diego public schools, the inner
child in Sherrill created the multi award-winning Botanic Hill Detectives
Mysteries series so her grandkids and all kids can gallop with her and her four
forever-thirteen-year-old sleuths in their standalone cases after clues to nab
the bad guys.
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I know just the perfect person for this book. Thanks