Book Description Frank, a dark-skinned old man, is found dead in No Name Creek under the railroad trestle. The local small town kids unravel the mysteries surrounding the old man they called "Friend." In the l960's, the idea of a friend over 30, a grown-up they could call by first name, a friend with no last name who liked to visit and teach them interesting stuff was reactionary―and now he was dead! The grown-ups ignored him. No one knew or cared who he was except the kids. Surviving life controlled by rigid codes of conduct, every move monitored by grown-ups (and the local tattle-tale cop), the junior high kids gather in the back booth of the local Drug Store 'n Soda Fountain Shop after school to share accumulated clues. They form the Meanderthaller gang and set out to uncover the truth. Was Frank's death an accident, as the grown-ups prefer to think, or was Frank's death a murder?
Publisher's Comment: I instantly fell in love with Marie the very first time I met her. Within the first minute of our conversation she began her elevator speech with, "Frank, a dark-skinned old man, is found dead in No Name Creek under the railroad trestle..." She has a natural ability to captivate you with her story-telling. Her command of the literary language speaks clearly and compellingly, drawing the reader into a time and place of a young adolescent's innocence and unceasing thirst for truth and understanding. You will want to discover more of this sweet suspense. Although set in the 1960's, it is a story for all ages and all times. Give it to a child to read, read it for yourself, or read it to your children.
Regarding the Classroom Edition: This unique edition of TRESTLE over No Name Creek was created especially for the classroom; public, private, or home-schooled. Bound in the back of this edition are chapter-by-chapter research projects to spur the minds and imaginations of the readers.
About the Author Combine curiosity, and observation skills with ability to correlate the unrelated, and you have a Marie C. Senter story. Marie uses writing and speaking to share experiences from her life as a nurse, teacher, speaker, and presenter in retreats, seminars, and conferences. TRESTLE over NO NAME CREEK provides a unique look into small-town happenings in the 1960's. Marie's sense of humor and ability to communicate how kids survived "way back then" give today's readers a fun, challenging trip. Grown-ups remember phone booths, rotary dial telephones, soda fountain shops, and expected behavior. Kids will find a whole new world in this old-style living.
