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"Richer than I you could never be, for I had a mother who read to me." The old poem is so true for me. My mother was a reader and my father was a teacher. Small wonder all four children became readers/teachers.
I graduated from Indiana State University and Indiana University, and taught middle-school language arts for 32 years.
My husband and I have two grown children and five grandchildren. We love to spend time with our family, read, and travel.
I had several articles published in Christian and educational magazines before my first novel, Why Johnny Died, was published in 1999. Then Death of a Hoosier Schoolmaster followed in 2002, and the third mystery of the series, The Curriculum Murders, 2004.(all by SterlingHouse Publishers, Inc.)
I retired from teaching in 2004 and found that I truly missed the kids. I had read to all of my classes and missed the interaction with young people. I decided to write a middle-grade book for them. The Secret of Bailey's Chase was published by Echelon Press in 2008 and won first place in the young adult division of the 2010 Readers' Favorite Book contest. I visited schools all over the region discussing this mystery/fantasy. It needed a sequel, so I wrote Back to Bailey's Chase, and it is to be officially released in Jan. 2011. I am a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and SCBWI. (The society of book writers and illustrators) I often speak at state reading conferences on the merits of reading to children.
Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
Marlis Day offers a wonderful journey into the imaginative mind of the preteen child. Two cousins are drawn together through the tragic death of Grey Bailey's parents. With assistance from her newly-found friend and cousin Sparky, Grey Bailey is warned of evil forces which will attempt to undermine the magical powers granted to the cousins by their distant ancestor, Grandma Bailey.
Apart, the two cousins have no extraordinary powers but, together, they are able to move objects and explore avenues not available to the average child. The book teaches cooperation, inspiration, adventure and imagination, as well as stressing values important to the preteen caught between childhood innocence and teenage responsibilities.
"The Secret" is well written and should appeal to both girls and boys in the upper elementary years. I applause Ms. Day who pulls together a delightful adventure story which stimulates the young reader.
