Elizabeth McDavid Jones
It is no accident that The Night Flyers, Elizabeth McDavid Jones's first American Girl History Mysteries® novel, is set in the backwoods of North Carolina. Ms. Jones has lived all over that state-from the mountains to the piedmont to the sand hills and "down east" in Greenville, where she now resides with her husband and four children.
Ms. Jones was born in South Carolina but moved to Raleigh, North Carolina as a toddler. She attended Appalachian State University and graduated from East Carolina University in 1981. Her first career was social work, then full-time motherhood. During these years, she taught herself the craft of writing and sold stories and articles to top-notch children's magazines such as Highlights, Cricket, Children's Digest, and Turtle. Desiring professional training, Ms. Jones returned to school, enrolling in the creative- writing track in the English Department at East Carolina University where she received her Masters of Arts degree in Literature in 1996. Since then, she has been teaching at Pitt Community College in Greenville.
In May 2000, The Night Flyers was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America. Ms. Jones has authored two other History Mysteries: Secrets on 26th Street and Watcher in the Piney Woods.
Reviews
The Night Flyers
Elizabeth McDavid Jones
Pleasant Company's new "History Mystery" series will be welcomed by those who have devoured their other books. There's much going right in these books, which combine history, suspense, and the strong heroines Pleasant Company is known for. The series launches with a set of five stories and there will be more for those who become addicted, though unlike their beloved doll-inspired series, these heroines will change. There is a great range in the mysteries, challenges faced by heroines, locales, and time periods. The Night Flyers takes place during WWI and Pam, who lives in North Carolina, wonders if an enemy spy is stealing her pigeons. 1999, Pleasant Company, Ages 7 to 10, $5.95. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 1-56247-759-5
The Night Flyers
Elizabeth McDavid Jones
While Pam Lowder's father is overseas fighting in World War I, a stranger with a foreign accent appears at her coastal North Carolina home wanting to purchase her homing pigeons. Is he a German spy? Pam places herself in danger in order to discover the truth. In this mystery, which is part of the "American Girl History Mysteries Series," Pam's problems provide readers with an intriguing glimpse into the hardships faced by families at home during the war. The rural South of 1918 comes alive with details of the period: sales of liver salts and stomach tonics, balls for play made from rolled tobacco twine, and colorful colloquialisms. Unfortunately, Pam's rustic voice, characterized by poor grammar, often seems forced because it is not consistent. The mystery, however, is interesting and believable, with an unexpected twist that saves it from being predictable. A valuable section at the end answers questions that the reader may have about the actual use of homing pigeons in World War I, as well as about propaganda and other historical details. 1999, Pleasant Company Publications, Ages 10 up, $5.95. Reviewer: Betty Hicks
ISBN: 1-56247-759-5
ISBN: 1-56247-815-X
Added 1999
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