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Welcome to Orca Book Publishers
Melanie Jackson
Biography: You're at the major revelation point in a mystery novel. The protagonist, quite possibly in a life-threatening situation, is about to figure out the who in whodunit. The villain is going to be unmasked! Your skin prickles with excitement, anticipation and dread. Then —
WHAM. With an acrobat-worthy plot twist, the author reveals the surprise. Ideally it's a double- or triple-decker surprise. You're shocked—and delighted.
The crime writer Scott Turow once remarked on the almost child-like thrill mystery readers derive from plot twists. A lifelong devotee of shocker revelations, Melanie Jackson considers it a personal mission to create the most diabolical and devious plot twists possible in her own mysteries. Fasten your safety belt for the surprises in her rollercoaster murder thriller The Big Dip (ages 10-14), and the acclaimed Dinah Galloway Mystery Series (ages 8-12).
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Melanie grew up in Toronto. After earning a BA at the University of Toronto and MA in Journalism at Western, she worked at the Toronto Star, and then a succession of newspapers and magazines until becoming an educational writer/editor in Vancouver.
A strong supporter of community literacy endeavors, Melanie is on the board of directors of the Lower Mainland Branch of the International Reading Association (LOMCIRA), and of the BC Chocolate Lily Awards. She's also a creative-writing volunteer mentor for the Vancouver School Board.
Melanie welcomes opportunities for author visits to schools. She will present on "The Ups and Downs of a Plot," setting out for student writers and readers all the elements that go into a novel’s structure. The presentation includes exercises and handouts, as well as Big Dip and Dinah readings, and a video clip.
Melanie has also been doing journalism presentations for secondary students: what a news story is, and how to write it. Again, with exercises and handouts.
Teachers and teacher-librarians: for more information, and a flyer on The Big Dip and the presentations, e-mail Melanie or visit her blog. She thanks you for your interest.
I've got a song that longs to be played
Raise up my flag, begin my parade
- Dory Previn
Also by Melanie Jackson
You are on page 1 showing results 1 to 8 out of 8 Total Results.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781554693429
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: October/01/2010
Fry Reading Level: 3.8
Pages: 112
Availability: Out of stock. Backorder policy
Price: $9.95
Clay Gibson, teen lifeguard, has to solve the mystery of the emptied register.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781554690374
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: April/01/2009
Pages: 176
Availability: In stock.
Price: $9.95
Competing for a spot in a commercial, Dinah must become healthy while eluding a vengeful pursuer.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781551436609
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: March/01/2007
Pages: 208
Availability: In stock.
Price: $8.95
Amateur twelve-year-old sleuth, Dinah Galloway is in danger on a cross-country train, on the trail of a priceless stamp.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781554691784
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: October/01/2009
Lexile Level: HL530L
Fry Reading Level: 3.9
Pages: 112
Availability: In stock.
Price: $9.95
At Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition, Joe Lumby, track star extraordinaire finds himself caught up in a mystery involving the theft of a gallery treasure.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781551432649
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: January/01/2003
Pages: 208
Availability: Out of stock. Backorder policy
Price: $8.95
Chosen for a lead role in the musical version of Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, eleven-year-old Dinah—amateur detective, budding singer and unabashed owner of a huge appetite—is once again embroiled in a mystery.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781551433059
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: October/01/2004
Pages: 192
Availability: In stock.
Price: $8.95
As the ship-board entertainment on an Alaska-bound cruiseship. twelve-year-old Dinah Galloway is on the trail of a stolen Native artifact.
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781551432076
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: September/01/2002
Pages: 192
Availability: In stock.
Price: $8.95
"Meet Dinah Galloway: eleven years old, headstrong and impulsive, with a voice that can raise the roof and an appetite to match. "
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By author: Melanie Jackson
ISBN: 9781551434124
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Pub Date: September/01/2005
Pages: 192
Availability: In stock.
Price: $8.95
Amateur sleuth, enthusiastic gourmand and budding songstress Dinah Galloway is back, this time on the trail of a greedy developer.
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