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North Star Press

Having over 25 years of writing experience, award-winning author, Renee Hand, has become a maverick in the world of children's story telling. She has created books that are educational, fun and interactive. Many of her books are science, history or social studies based. She goes beyond entertaining, capturing the reader’s attention, making her stories memorable in the minds of every child.

Hand's new release, Mineral Mischief, involves Maple Moo’s rare mineral, which goes missing. She instantly turns to Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill, the most famous detectives in Acorn Valley, to find it. The suspects, however, were hard to figure out. Was it Candy Cardinal, who committed the crime? She collects various gemstones to make jewelry. Brutus and Betty Blue Beaver also collect minerals and have a fancy quartz collection. Liam the Llama looks suspicious with his igneous rocks and exploding volcano, or was it Huckleberry Moose with his sedimentary rock collection? Joe-Joe and Biscuit find themselves at a loss until some bullies roar into town.  Twist and turns make this story a must read.

"I wanted to make a connection with my readers and make the topics something that children will be learning about in school," says Hand. "Some children like rocks, some think they’re boring, and some love to collect them. This story appeals to every reader because I approach the topic of rocks and minerals from various angles. It’s not just my point of view, but various characters’ points of view. I include information about the rock cycle, various experiments, terminology, a ‘Did You Know’ section and much more. It satisfies the National Education Standards for Earth and Space Science. I also incorporated a discussion about bullying, which one of the characters is involved with. The character also finds a solution to this problem which all children can benefit from. The topic of rocks and minerals is interwoven in the mystery having the reader learn right along with the characters. Parents, librarians, teachers, and children will love this series and the direction I’m taking it."

The author is a sought after presenter who travels around North America visiting schools, libraries and other venues talking about her books and teaching a writer’s workshop that is guaranteed to improve test scores. Mineral Mischief, along with Renee Hand’s other award-winning books, can be purchased through bookstores big and small, as well as on-line and through her website at www.reneeahand.com