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The space where my thumb should be was aching. Deena never believes me when I tell her that. “Things that aren’t there can’t hurt you,” she always says. But they do. And I should know.

Macey McCallister, “Niner” to her classmates, is missing a lot of things – her thumb, her birth parents, her history – and now her adoptive mother has disappeared as well. So one morning when Macey finds a locket on her front lawn, she is convinced that it is a sign, something placed there just for her. But when others seem to want the locket as well, Macey, her sister Deena, and their friends are unwittingly drawn into the middle of a frightening and dangerous game. In the midst of this danger, Macey must confront an ugly truth. Was it her fault that Mom left? Was it time for her to find her birth parents? From the innocent discovery of the locket to the surprise revelation of its significance, Macey is faced with a question that will affect the rest of her life. When she finds the answer, she also discovers something of great importance – the place she truly belongs.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny meet Mr. Hudson, a local author who is best known for his novel about a vampire. But rumors of a real vampire are going around town -- a vampire who haunts the graveyard behind Mr. Hudson's house! Since vampires don't exist, the children soon realize that someone must be trying to scare people away! Who brought the old legend back to life -- and why?

The Boxcar Children series was started in 1942 by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Though Mrs. Warner died in 1979, novels about the mystery-solving Alden children continue to be popular. The newest novel that I have written, The Great Turkey Heist, is number 129 in the series. For more information about Gertrude Chandler Warner and for a list of the other Boxcar Children stories, click on the link:

Every fall at the Beckett farm, visitors come to buy pumpkins and go on hayrides. Best of all, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny get to dress up in costumes and help with the fun. But something is haunting the farm..a mysterious ghost with a glowing pumpkin head!

The Aldens are visiting the New Jersey shore and enjoying the beach and the boardwalk attractions. A family friend has just bought an amusement pier, and the children are excited to help out. But there are rumors that the rides aren't safe, and someone has stolen a zombie from the haunted house! Can the Boxcar Children find out what's behind all the trouble?

Abby's legs are long and fast, but sometimes her breath is short. When it is Abby's turn to read her paper in front of the class, she tells everyone that her goal for the year is to run in the big race at the fair. And she is fast enough to win. "But doesn't she have asthma?" ask Abby's classmates. "How can she win the race?" Abby practices hard. She visits Dr. Allison, works on her breathing exercises, and takes her medication. Even still, sometimes Abby has trouble catching her breath and has to rest. Will she be able to run in the big race? Can she win?

Carly Chambers has a secret--one she's been carefully guarding all her life. With her family constantly on the move and her father's harsh rules keeping her close to home, it had been an easy secret to keep. Until now. This summer in Oceanside, a beach town on the Jersey coast, everything is unraveling.

In this colorful picture book, a mother and son attend a Memorial Day Parade. Mama promises Marco that there will be a “very big surprise,” creating a tone of anticipation. The excitement builds as they join the others lined up along the avenue. Could the surprise be the fire engines? The candy tossed to the crowd? The marching band? Marco never imagined the kind of surprise in store for him.

Twelve-year-old Lindy Perkins desperately wants to get back to Philadelphia. She wants everything to be like it used to be before The Awful Thing happened and her whole life changed. But she’s stuck living in fancy Shelbourne, where all the kids are rich, and Lindy has to pretend that she is, too. But the worst thing of all is the secret that she has been hiding even from her own family. It is the secret of what she did that day – the day that changed all their lives forever.

Kat O’Connor, a 13-year-old girl growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, is emerging from sorrow after the recent death of her mother. Deeply hurt and angry that no one truly understands, she develops a friendship with a mentally challenged homeless man and envies his retreat from reality. A hit-and-run accident, an offbeat best friend, a mysterious spying neighbor, and an aging nun with a secret all throw Kat’s life into further turmoil and leave her at a crossroads.

A new restaurant is opening up in Greenfield, and the Aldens are first in line to help the owner start up a food pantry. They do everything they can to collect donations, from putting up signs to offering a free Thanksgiving dinner for the whole town, but someone keeps moving the signs and even steals the giant turkey that was meant for the dinner. The clock is ticking to get it back, but never fear, the Boxcar Children are on the case.