Elliot is back! Be on the lookout for his latest adventure. Elliot and his friends will delight young middle grade readers with this funny suspense/adventure. The Mystery of the Backyard Treasure is a fast moving, humorous story of buried treasure gone bad.

Elliot and his friends bury a treasure chest in the backyard, but when they set out to dig it up they are shocked at what they find... a secret box, a mysterious key, a foreign name, a creepy souvenir. What does it all mean? Is Elliot's imagination at it again? Will Jake and Cassie be part of the team? Who will solve the mission?

When Elliot Stone, a nine year-old boy, overhears a grown-up telephone conversation, he takes the information out of context and lets his young imagination run away with him. During his encounter with several minor disasters, Elliot displays maturity, bravery and intelligence while maintaining the innocence and sweetness of a little boy. Parents and children alike will enjoy the suspense and comedy that take Elliot and his friends on this unforgettable mission.

This teacher/parent resource guide is the "ultimate" companion to the Elliot Stone and the Mystery of the Alien Mom book. How often do you want your children to do higher level thinking? Would you like them to be doing book-related activities that continuously reinforce just how smart they are in multiple ways? Then this is the resource for you. Elliot, the main character in the children's book, uses a purple notebook to keep track of all of his detective clues. You can use this "purple notebook" to challenge your children/students to "perform to the max." This guide can serve as a stepping stone for ideas to also make other children's literature an enriching experience for your students.

Tommy is anxious about his very first session with a counselor, Dr. Bob. He wonders about his friends finding out, and he worries that needing to see a counselor means something is wrong with him. Eventually, Tommy is relieved to find that Dr. Bob is actually very kind, and so Tommy becomes a little more comfortable with the concept of counseling. However, he still doesn't want any of his friends to know where he goes on Tuesday afternoons for fear they will tease him. As the story unfolds, Tommy gains enough confidence to tell his friends the truth. With Dr. Bob's help, and the support of his friends, Tommy begins to have a whole new outlook.