Elysabeth Eldering, Author

This tour it's my pleasure to host author, Elysabeth Eldering.

Very few authors know for sure what their next few books will be about. Well, Elysabeth Eldering is one of the very few. Not only does she know what her next few books will be about, she know what her next 48 books will be about.

With a childhood spent traveling the globe, writer Elysabeth Eldering developed a passion for geography. Growing up in a military family, Elysabeth lived in Japan, Germany, New York, Kentucky, and Texas before her family finally settled in a small town in South Carolina. Elysabeth, who lives in Honea Path, put her globetrotting skills to work in the Junior Geography Detective Squad's 50-state mystery trivia series.

Published by 4RV Publishing, the series made its debut in summer 2008 with State of Wilderness. The Junior Geography Detective Squad will continue to put their mystery-solving talents to work in each state, challenging young readers on their knowledge of the nation's geography and interesting facts about each state. State of Quarries is next in the line-up.

The mother of three - an adult son and a teen-aged son and daughter - juggles a schedule that includes volunteering with her children's school activities, such as marching band and band competitions. An avid pet lover, Elysabeth is caretaker for the family's three dogs and a rabbit named Easter. She's active in the Greenville chapters of Sisters in Crime and the SC Writers Workshop and has judged entries for the Derringers Awards competition.

Elysabeth entered her first writing contest on a dare from a friend. Since then, the prize-winning writer has received awards from Armchair Interviews and Echelon Press. Her most recent story, “Bride and Seek,” was published in the SC Writers Workshop anthology The Petigru Review and is available on www.amazon.com. She has an article on editing and self publishing, also with Armchair Interviews.

Below is a wonderful review of Elysabeth’s first book of the Junior Geography Detective Squad series, State of Wilderness.

BOOK REVIEW
STORIES FOR CHILDREN MAGAZINE
BOOK: State of WildernessAUTHOR: Elysabeth Eldering
ILLUSTRATOR: Aidana WillowRaven
PUBLISHER: 4RV Publishing LLC (2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797513-5-6
ISBN-10: 0-9797513-5-7
READING LEVEL: Grades 5-6
RATING: 5 stars
REVIEWED BY: Wayne Walker

Geography was one of my favorite subjects in school. Even at home as a child, on a rainy day I could spend hours of delight with an atlas or a set of encyclopedias in which I could read about different places. I still enjoy learning about various countries, states, and other localities on earth. The study of geography can be dreary and boring when reduced to rote memorization of nations, capitals, and such information. However, it can also be fun, as this first book in the "Junior Geography Detective Squad 50 States Mystery Trivia Series" shows. This novel presentation of geographical facts about the United States is a fascinating way to reinforce geographical awareness, something that studies show is sorely lacking in our children's education.

Matt Patterson is almost thirteen and likes to hang out with his friend Guy Lombard. They enjoy not only skateboarding and video games but also geography. Matt's eleven year old sister Mary Beth also joins Matt and Guy. Matt's mother has given him a new hand-held geography game that has both a screen and a voice. It gives a set of clues, going from obscure to more well-known, about one of the fifty states. As Matt, Guy, and Mary Beth ponder the clues and try to guess the state, the reader moves along with them and can try his own hand at determining which state is being described. As the "Junior Geography Detective Squad" passes through the fifty states of the series, there are also "bonus clues" about one of the five territories which are part of the United States.

People like me who enjoy geography and trivia buffs in general will really like this book. However, it should especially appeal to middle school aged students whose lives revolve around video games. Take a break from the computer or pod for a few minutes and read a book that will be both fun and educational. It is well written and the drawings by Aidana WillowRaven help the reader visualize what the "Junior Geography Detective Squad" is seeing. When I received my copy and began to look over it, I found it so interesting that I finished it in one sitting. I guessed the state by Clue #4, but if you cannot guess it by Clue #25, you need to brush up on your U. S. geography! And if you want to know what those clues are, you will need to get the book. I look forward to further volumes in the series.

To learn more about the Junior Geography Detective Squad, visit http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com. Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter so you can be informed of the series and events going on around the different states

You can also contact the author at eeldering@gmail.com
Related website: http://4rvpublishingllc.com

Please stop by again on Tuesday, February 3rd, for Questions and Answers with Elysabeth Eldering.



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