Aven Green Sleuthing Machine

Description

Age range 6 to 9 Get ready for a whole new chapter in the life of Aven Green, the remarkable heroine of Dusti Bowling's Life of a Cactus series. Told in the same wry, memorable voice as the middle-grade novels, younger readers get to know Aven through her everyday adventures. Third-grader Aven Green has been solving mysteries for a really long time-a whole month. She's solved many important cases like The Mystery of the Cranky Mom, The Mystery of the Missing Ice Cream, and The Mystery of the Smelly Feet. Her record is nearly 100% (only The Mystery of the Cereal in My Underpants remains unsolved to this day). Aven asks all the right questions, wields her detective kit carefully, and follows up on every clue. Then her teacher's lunch bag (with her lunch still in it) is taken and Aven's great-grandma's beloved dog goes missing! Can this perceptive detective crack two cases at the same time? Luckily, Aven has a super-powered brain full of lots of extra brain cells to take on both cases. See, she was born without arms, so all of the cells that were supposed to make her arms went into making her brain instead. At least that her working theory for The Mystery of Why I Have So Many Extra Brain Cells.

Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. Dusti holds a bachelor of psychology and a master of education, but she eventually realized that her true passion was writing. She lives in Arizona, with her husband, three daughters, one bobcat, a pack of coyotes, a couple of chuckwallas, several rattlesnakes, and a few herds of javelina. Dusti can be found on Twitter (@Dusti_Bowling) and Instagram (@dustibowling). Gina Perry graduated from Syracuse University, worked as a compositor in animation, then an art director for a stationery manufacturer, before discovering her true passion--writing and illustrating children's books. She lives with her family in New Hampshire.

Praise for Aven Green Sleuthing Machine "[Bowling] infuses her writing with humor and empathy." --School Library Journal (starred) "A fun series opener with a feisty protagonist who'll keep readers on their toes." --Kirkus Reviews "Unapologetically smart and refreshingly confident in her abilities, this super-sleuth extraordinaire is a joy to tag along with." --Booklist "Aven's candid voice ensures that this chapter book series starter will draw a young audience." --Publishers Weekly