Author Guest Post: Michael Beil, Author of The Red Blazer Girls Series

Today I’m excited to welcome Michael Beil, author of The Red Blazer Girl Series! Here’s a little information about Michael:

I grew up in Andover, Ohio (pop. 1200), where I learned to sail, milk cows, tell the difference between hay and straw, and many other important lessons. I worked as a sailmaker and lawyer before finding my true calling in 1997: Teacher. Since 2001, I have taught English and drama at an all-girls Catholic high school in Manhattan, where I also wrote and produced Aftershocks, a play based on the challenges facing the immigrant families of some of my students. I live in Manhattan with my wife Laura, dogs Isabel and Maggie, and cats Cyril and Emma.

When I’m indoors, I love cooking (anything French, especially!), playing the cello (not nearly as well as I’d like), and sinking my teeth into a really great book. Outdoors, I love skiing, sailing, and hiking and camping.

For his guest post today, Michael is discussing a topic near and dear to my heart, the resurgence of “girl detectives” in middle grade fiction!

The continued popularity of “the girl detective” in middle grade fiction is no surprise to me. In my own tween years, Nancy Drew shared shelf space with my personal hero, Encyclopedia Brown. While today’s Young Adult readers sink their teeth into books about vampires (sorry, I couldn’t resist) and dark, supernatural tales, the Middle Grade crowd still loves a good old-fashioned mystery, especially when the detective is someone just like them. Fortunately for them, they have plenty of options, including Enola Holmes, Sammy Keyes, Judy Moody, and my own Red Blazer Girls.

What is it about a girl detective that is so appealing to those kids “in the middle”? I’m no expert, but I did spend a couple of years teaching sixth grade, and I think I have some insights. For one thing, while the idea of a 12-year-old detective solving a complicated mystery might be completely implausible to a high school freshman, younger readers believe that anything – from solving world hunger to solving the Mystery of the Ivory Charm – is possible, if they put their minds to it. The only difference between them and Nancy is that nobody has asked them to solve a crime – yet. If they had the opportunity, they could pull it off, just like she does. Their optimism is boundless and endearing.

Doubtless they can also relate to the “invisibility” of kids trying to make their way in an adult world. The girl detective must be clever as well as intelligent, and learn how to use adults’ weaknesses and prejudices against them in order to solve the mystery. Although it’s not a MG/YA book, I’m smitten with Alan Bradley’s The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, a mystery narrated by the eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce. Because of her age, she has almost unlimited access to places that would be off-limits to an older person. “Ignore us at your own peril,” these young detectives seem to be saying.

Whatever the reasons for their success, long live girl detectives!

Thank you, Michael, for stopping by!  Please be sure to check out Michael’s Web site to learn more about him & The Red Blazer Girl series!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of the most recent Red Blazer Girl Series, The Mistaken Masterpiece, to give away, which my eleven-year-old son and I reviewed yesterday.  To enter, please fill out the form below.  Contest is open to US residents only.  The winner will be contacted via email on Friday, July 1st.