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E. J. (Erica) Gore
Erica grew up in Brisbane, Australia, in the 1950/60s.
For an inwardly adventurous, but outwardly shy child, reading was a major part of life. Stories such as Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ adventures fired her imagination and created new worlds for her to explore.
Having overcome her shyness by taking drama classes at her mother’s insistence, Erica became a primary school teacher. She brought her love of story into the classroom, using narrative as a base for the units of work she planned for her students. Her core belief that stories provide children with a means of engaging with, and forming deeper understanding of, the world around them proved most successful in encouraging learning.
When she retired from the classroom, Erica began to write her stories down.
Erica’s characters are average kids. They do not have any special powers. They do not live in any fantasy worlds. Quick wits and keen observation skills are their weapons.
The main character, Taya, is the adventurous little girl that Erica longed to be. She has the adventures that Erica dreamed of having. She is a child who wonders about things and likes to figure out puzzles. She can be a scaredy-cat and she can be amazingly brave. She and her fiend, Chris, are likeable kids with whom young readers can easily identify.
Who wouldn’t want to be out and about solving mysteries and having adventures?
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Taya Bayliss -- Dog Sitter is a juvenile/preteen mystery written by E.J. Gore. Taya is eleven years old, and she’s on holiday. She’s just not sure what there is to do around town. Taya lives in an apartment above the town’s bookstore with her father, a professor, and her mother, an illustrator of children’s books. Her grandmother lives nearby in a retirement village, and Taya enjoys visiting with her. Minette, the Dumonts’ Golden Doodle, also enjoys visiting at the retirement village and, on her last visit, grabbed a purple ball of yarn to play with. When Taya tries to figure out how Minette keeps getting loose, she discovers Minette’s hoard of treasures. There are lots of strange things in that cache, like underwear, and a black leather glove, which Taya thinks might belong to the guy in town who rides a motorcycle.
E.J. Gore’s juvenile/preteen mystery novel, Taya Bayliss -- Dog Sitter, is a lot of fun to read. Taya is a great character who likes to use logic to solve problems. She’s resourceful and determined to solve the mystery when she’s got the scent of the robber who’s been stealing from the townspeople as well as the residents of the retirement village. Minette, the Golden Doodle, and Chris, her twelve-year-old pal, are her partners in the crime-solving game, and the three of them make an inspired team. Gore’s plot is exciting and fast-paced, with plenty of clues for readers and quite a bit of action and adventure. Gore also includes discussion questions at the end of the book that keep the fun going on just a little bit longer. I enjoyed Taya Bayliss -- Dog Sitter and highly recommend it.
