Caitlind Alexander is the author of over 60 books for children, including the Jamie and Kendall Broderick Mystery series, the 14 Fun Facts and 101 Fun Facts series, the Wonderful World of Animals Series, and the Miss Jones series.
She lives in California where she loves to visit historic places and learn about new things. She also loves to travel and has been all over the world.
Jamie and Kendall looked up from their homework at the boy that their mom had let into the house. “Do we know you?” Jamie asked. The boy looked embarrassed. “I’m Steve Richards. My little sister is Sara Richards. She says you guys are good detectives. She told me you run a detective agency for kids.” What does Steve need help with? Solve this mystery. Teaches logic and details. Has CCSS exercises.
“Welcome to our museum,” they heard a voice say. When their eyes adjusted they saw a man in front of them. “I’m Bill and I’ll be your guide today. That will be two dollars each,” he added. Their father turned over six dollars and the man quickly stuck it in a cash box under the counter. Jamie stepped up to look at one of the cases. "This is strange!" Solve this mystery. Includes CCSS exercises.
Peter Markham, the local bully stood before Kris Williams. They were standing outside the school at the end of the day. “Something came in that your mom would love,” Peter continued. “I know you’ll want to buy it.” Kendall and Jamie stepped up behind Peter just in time to hear the last line. “What is it?” Kendall asked. Solve this mystery. Educational Versions have Common Core exercises.
“Could you imagine living in a house like this?” Kendall asked. “Could you imagine having to clean a house like this?” Jamie asked. Both Kendall and Jamie had inherited their love of old things from their parents. At that moment they were visiting a huge mansion that allowed tours. They had come with their friends Erica and Andrea and their father. Solve this mystery. Educ Vers have CCSS exercises
“I just wanted to run a case by you. I hope that talking about it will give me a lead,” Officer Hall said. A moment later they were in the kitchen and popping some popcorn in the microwave. Kendall got them each a glass of milk. When the popcorn was done, they settled around the table. “We had a small burglary last night,” Officer Hall began. Solve this mystery. Educ. Versions have CCSS exercises.
“You guys are the best at solving mysteries,” Kris said. “In fact, that’s kind of why I am here.” “Hey, look at that, Jamie,” Kendall exclaimed. “We’re not even open yet and we’ve already got our first case.” Kris dropped the backpack he was carrying and pulled out an electronic tablet. He turned it on and tapped the screen. A moment later he was looking at an online auction. Solve this mystery.
Officer Hall climbed out of the police car and walked toward the man. She spotted Kendall and Jamie and nodded, but did not come over. She was busy watching the man on the ground. "What happened?” Jamie asked her. “It looks like a robbery,” Officer Hall called out. What is missing? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do.Educational Versions have Common Core exercises.
Jamie and Kendall Broderick were downtown, trying to find a present for their friend. Suddenly they heard footsteps behind them. “Help! My purse!” a woman screamed. Can the Brodericks help find the purse and catch the thief? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Educational Versions Include exercises designed to meet Common Core Standards. Ages 8 and up.
A valuable waistcoat is up for auction. The man selling it says it used to belong to George Washington. If so, it could be worth a lot of money. But how could they tell if the man was telling the truth? After all, the man selling it was Peter Markham’s uncle. And everyone knew that Peter Markham was one of the most dishonest kids in the whole school. See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery.
“I had to go to the front of the school,” Miss Barker interrupted. “My cell phone doesn’t work at the back.” “I was gone for about ten minutes. While I was gone, someone went into my classroom and took twenty dollars from my purse. I know it was someone from this team since no one else is around,” she said in an accusing tone.
Who took the money? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery.
“Look at that,” Jamie said. “Someone broke into Bill Johnson’s case!” Kendall looked and saw that the trophy case had been smashed open. It was totally empty. That case was the pride and joy of Sports Play. It had held the baseball jersey, a bat, and a signed ball from Bill Johnson. Bill was a real home town hero. See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do.
“It’s gone,” Jose’s yell interrupted Kendall’s thoughts. “My assignment isn’t in my backpack where I left it.” Everyone turned to look at Jose Gomez. Jose frantically searched through his backpack again. Then he looked up with an angry look on his face. “I’ll bet Peter took it!” Everyone turned to look at Peter Markham. Peter was known as the class bully. See if you can discover what happened!
“I need your help. Are you guys open for business?” Brian asked. “Sure,” Kendall said. “Let me just grab my sister. She’d kill me if I left her out of a case.” “OK,” Brian said. Kendall went over to the door that led to the house and opened it. “JAMIE,” he yelled inside. “WE'VE GOT A CASE!” Match wits with Kendall and Jamie and see if you can solve these cases.
There are many kinds of horses in the world. Some are short. Some are huge. Some are one color. Some are many colors. But they are all pretty.
All horses have long, thin legs and a big round body. They have a long, curved neck and a big head with large eyes.
This book is a shortened version of our popular “Horses: Tame and Wild” and is for early readers. With only 1248 easy to read words...
Rabbits are small, furry animals. They live all over the world. They have an egg shaped body covered in very soft fur. Most rabbits have fur that is the color of the area they live in. This helps them to hide from their enemies. If they live among dirt and twigs, they will be brown or spotted. If they live in snow, they will be white. Some rabbits even change color. Series for early readers.
A frog is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part of it on land. Frogs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are round and fat and some are long and skinny. The smallest frog is only as big as your fingernail. The biggest frog is bigger than a plate. This book is a shortened version of our popular “Frogs and Toads: In and Out of the Water” and is intended for beginning readers.
“Will you help me?” Jamie looked up from the book she was reading to find Leah Redstone in front of her. She looked like she was about to cry. Leah’s crayons have been stolen, but is there any way to prove it? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Educational Versions have exercises geared to meet Common Core Standards.
“You guys have to help me!” Megan said as she raced up to Kendall and Jamie. “Luda is going to kill me!” “What’s wrong?” Jamie and Kendall asked together. “I lost Gracie,” Megan wailed. “I can’t find her anywhere!” See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do? Educational Versions have exercises geared to meet Common Core Standards.
“Before we go to lunch, I need you all to think about the talks that you have heard,” Miss Tate said. “One of the reports has a problem with it. Can anyone tell me what that talk was, and what the problem was?” Jamie thought back to all the talks she had heard that day. Mostly she thought about her own talk. Did she get something wrong? Can you figure it out? Includes activities to meet CCSS.
“Hey, can you help me,” he said to Kendall. “Jack Washington just stole my jeans and my mom is going to kill me if I don’t bring them home.” “Not Jack Washington, again” Jamie said. Jack was the neighborhood bully. He was always trying to take things from the other kids. But how could they prove it? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Includes CCSS exercises.
Benny walked up to Kendall and Jamie just as they were about to leave the school yard. “I want to hire you guys to help me win the big chili contest on Saturday.”
“Help you win?” Kendall asked. “Yeah,” Benny said. “I know my chili recipe is better than Jerry Smart’s, but only if we cook fair.” See if you can tell if Jerry plays fair in this 15-minute mystery. Can you solve it? Includes CCSS tasks.
“The local Bank of Hannibal was just robbed at gunpoint,” the announcer said. “The thief got away with over $100,000. He was last seen heading south on Highway 79 toward the Mark Twain Caves. The police have set up a road block just south of the caves, but the thief has yet to reach it. Has the thief stopped at the caves? Can the Brodericks help find him? Educational versions include CCSS exrcises
Jamie and Kendall Broderick are excited to read about a missing masterpiece. A museum in France was robbed 30 years ago. Suddenly the painting has turned up, and the owner is seeking the reward. But is he the thief? Can the Brodericks help find out before the reward money is paid? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Educational Versions have CCSS exercises.
“Ten thousand dollars,” Carl answered. “I could get a lot more for it where I’m going in Europe. They remember the war over there. My grandfather was a hero to the people of France and England too. I’m only willing to sell it for this low of an amount because this was his hometown.” Is that a good price for an early pistol? And did it really belong to the first mayor? Includes CCSS activities.
Kendall and Jamie were sitting on the front porch looking bored. Just then a police car drove up and stopped. An officer got out and opened the back door. Peter Markham stepped out. “I see Peter’s in trouble again,” Jamie said, loud enough for Peter to hear. “More like you are,” Peter sneered. He headed toward them. What have Kendall and Jamie been accused of? Educ Versions include CCSS activities
“I wonder if something is wrong,” Mr. Broderick asked as he headed across the room. He swung open the window and called. “Chris?” Officer Hall’s head appeared at the window. “Kendall thinks you’re watching us.” “Actually he’s right,” Officer Hall said. “I was wondering if I could talk to the kids for a few minutes.” What did Officer Hall want with Kendall and Jamie? Includes Common Core exercises.
“It was the guy with the kangaroo,” a woman’s voice said. “He stole our wallets. I saw him.” “Everyone calm down,” another woman said. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.” “I know that voice,” Jamie said. “It’s Officer Hall.” Jamie immediately headed into the tent. Kendall followed. Hopefully they could help find out who had stolen the wallets. See if you can solve the case! Includes CCSS activities
“Today I need everyone to stay in the west play yard during recess. Which way is west?” Everyone looked at their compass. “That way!” several of the students yelled.
“Good,” the teacher answered. “After lunch we’re going to go geocaching.” Who finds the geocache first? And are they cheating? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Includes CCSS exercises.
“Thank you all for coming,” Alice said. “It seems we’ve had a break in. The police have already come and checked everything out. Unfortunately they didn’t find any fingerprints or anything else.” “I’d like to start by asking John, the caretaker, to tell you what happened tonight,” she continued. “Perhaps he can shed some light on this situation for us.”
Edu. Vers. includes common core exercises.
Someone has stolen a leafy sea dragon from the pet store. Jamie and Kendall’s friend Jarren Jones asks for their help. The store owner thinks Jarren has stolen it. Can they help him figure out who really took it? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do! Educational Versions have exercises geared to meet Common Core Standards.
Jamie and Kendall are visiting the Queen Mary ship. After peering into a bedroom suite, the family moved down the hall. Jamie quickly pulled out her camera and ran back to the room they had just left. As she stepped into the doorway, she held her camera up.“Oh!” she cried. She pulled down the camera, just in time to see a ship’s steward step back through the room’s far door. Includes CCSS tasks.
Jamie slid her bike to a stop and quickly put it into the rack. She had it locked and was looking around before Kendall even came to a complete stop. He started to lock up his bike as she spotted Lisa. The girl was sitting on a park bench with tears rolling down her face. “Something’s wrong,” Jamie yelled as she hurried over. What is wrong, and can Kendall and Jamie fix it? Includes CCSS exercises
Jayla Jones is appearing in a beauty pageant, and Kendall and Jamie have come to watch. But soon things are turning up missing. One girl’s baton is gone, and Jayla’s music is missing! Can Kendall and Jamie help solve the case before the pageant is finished? Can you solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do? Educational versions have exercises to meet Common Core Standards.
“In China, it is very important to give a young girl jade. A family will even go into debt to get a very good piece of jade jewelry. But usually they don’t have to buy a bracelet. Jade is passed down in families from generation to generation, just like my bracelet was passed down to me.” Why wouldn’t the shop keeper return Shing Lee's jade bracelet? Educational versions have Common Core exercises.
Jamie and Kendall Broderick catch up to their father at a fancy party. An expensive crystal vase has been stolen. They watch as the police ask their father to go through his movements at the party. Can they help the police find the stolen vase? See if you can solve this 15-minute mystery before the Brodericks do. Educational versions have exercises to meet common core standards.
Rabbits are small, furry animals that live all over the world. Most rabbits like to live in groups called herds. Some rabbits like to live alone. They have an egg shaped body covered in very soft fur. Most rabbits have fur that is the color of the area they live in. This helps them to hide from their enemies. Learn about rabbits in this fun, 15-minute book for young readers.
Giant pandas live in China. For a long time many people thought a panda was a bear. Some thought it was a raccoon. Now they know that they are really bears.
They look like a huge, cuddly bear. They have four legs and a short, stubby tail. They also have a face that looks like a bear face.
This book is a shortened version of our popular “Giant Pandas: Cuddly Bamboo Lovers” and is for early readers.
Ask most adults who Typhoid Mary was, and they'll tell you a lie. They'll tell you she was someone who killed hundreds of people. Maybe even thousands. They'll tell you she was a woman who knew she had a deadly disease and didn't care that she spread it to others. But is it true? No. Most of it is not true. Here is Mary's story.
Educational versions have Common Core Curriculum activities.
Sara Jo Baker grew up questioning everything. She also grew up doing a lot of things that only boys were supposed to do. She mostly did them with her father and younger brother.
Then Jo's world fell apart. Her father and brother died within months of each other.
Jo thought it was her job to help support the family, so she went to college and became a doctor.
Educational versions have CCSS activiti
The name Rain-in-the-Face struck fear into the hearts of white men. He was a fierce Sioux warrior who fought many battles.
One of those fights was the Battle of the Little Bighorn, where General George Custer was killed. Many people say Rain-in-the-Face killed Custer. Others said that he killed Tom Custer, General Custer’s brother, and cut out his heart.Educational versions have CCSS Activities.
It happened in 1887, in the south of France. A now unknown man was exploring the hills near the town of Saint-Gaudens. He was only 25 miles (40 km) from the border of Spain, in an area with lots of caves nestled into the soft rock and steep cliffs. Suddenly he came upon an opening in the rock.
Find out what strange thing he discovered.
Educational versions have Common Core Curriculum activities.
It happened on March 29, 1848. The people of Niagara Falls awoke to a near deafening silence.
The silence wasn’t complete. They could hear birds twittering in the trees overhead. There were a few dogs barking. But otherwise there was silence.
This was strange because the people of Niagara Falls lived their entire lives with the roar of the falls.
Educational versions have CCSS activities.
Elephants are the biggest animal that lives on land. They are HUGE! A male elephant is taller than the room in your house! They can weigh as much as 13 small trucks!
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Elephant Seals: Mountains of Blubber” and is for early readers. With only 994 easy to read words, young children can enjoy learning about the elephant.
Book has CCSS Activities.
Elephant seals are huge animals that live in the sea. When I say they are huge, I mean huge. The male elephant seal can grow to be as long as a car! They can weigh as much as two cars! That is big!
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Elephant Seals: Mountains of Blubber” and is for early readers. It has only 996 easy to read words.
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Sea Stars: Stars of the Sea” and is for early readers. With only 1134 easy to read words, young children can experience the joy of learning about the sea star. They will find out:
How many arms can a sea star have?
What kind of skin does a sea star have on the top of its body?
How does a sea star turn over?
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Hippos: Giants Who Love the Water” and is for early readers. With only 1156 easy to read words, young children can enjoy learning about the hippo. They will find out:
How wide can a hippo open their mouth?
Why do hippos sleep in the water?
Can hippos surf on the waves?
How far can a hippo baby walk?
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Bighorn Sheep: World of the Mountain Walkers” for early readers. With only 1320 easy to read words, young children can enjoy learning about the bighorn sheep. They will find out:
How long do male bighorn sheep fight for?
Does it hurt when rams smash their heads together?
Are their horns heavy?
And much more!
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Gorillas: Men of the African Forest” and is for early readers. With only 1107 easy to read words, young children can experience the joy of learning about the gorilla. They will find out:
Do gorillas walk around on their back legs?
How long are a gorilla’s teeth?
Where does a male gorilla sleep?
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Penguins: Birds in Tuxedo Suits” and is for early readers. With only 1296 easy to read words, young children can experience the joy of learning about the penguin. Find out:
How does a penguin’s color help keep it safe?
When they swim, does a penguin’s tail push it through the water?
How big can a penguin be?
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.
This book is a shorter version of our popular “Wolves: Howlers of the Night” and is for early readers. With only 1291 easy to read words, young children can experience the joy of learning about the wolf. They will find out:
How many wolves can there be in a pack?
Why is a wolf’s place in his pack important?
How does a wolf say “I want to play"?
Educational Versions have CCSS Activities.