SPOTLIGHT: The Case of the Pinched Stadivarius by Elaine Loeser @smithpublicity @elaineloeser
The Case of the Pinched Stadivarius
by Elaine Loeser
Illustrated by Greg Arvanitakis
Publisher: Ampersand, Inc.
Publish Date: April 6, 2018
Hardcover
40 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Kids
Miles
and Fargo are your average turtles. They swim, lounge around and fight over the
one rock in their tank. But Miles and Fargo are different in one major way:
like Jimmy Stewart’s character in the iconic 1954 film “Rear Window,” they
witness a crime from the window of their apartment and manage to solve it
without leaving their tank.
From
Elaine Loeser, fiction writer, lawyer and former writer for the long-running NBC
drama “Law & Order” comes The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius (Ampersand,
Inc., Publishing, April 6 2018), with wonderfully vibrant illustrations by
Greg Arvanitakis. One day, while looking out the window, Miles and Fargo
witness a little girl's violin stolen by a bad man, who snatches the instrument
and runs away. After watching carefully, the turtles enlist the services of
Bogie and Bandit, the dogs who live in the apartment with them, to do the
legwork on their walks. The dogs get all
the credit when the violin is found. But that’s ok with Miles and Fargo. They
did the thinking. This is the story of
how they manage to solve the crime and bring the thief to justice, thus
becoming: Miles and Fargo, Turtle Detectives!
Told in
an all-dialogue format, The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius is a
unique whodunit. For kids, parents and teachers alike, it’s a fun story that
introduces readers to Miles and Fargo, their background and how they become the
Holmes and Watson of the amniote world!
Through the pages of the book, readers also learn:
•
A tale of real turtles: They’re now
21-years-old, have real personalities of their own and enjoy sitting in the
window of Loeser’s home. They may just be solving crime in their spare time as
well!
•
About witnessing a crime and what to
do. They solve the caper with keen observation and thinking. And, while they do
employ the limited skills of the two
clueless dogs who live with them, this too is a challenge for the
turtles.
•
This is their first case, and how they
become Miles and Fargo: Turtle Detectives. They might soon be famous, if only
someone other than the dogs knew they were the real detectives!
The
Case of the Pinched Stradivarius is ideal for readers ages 3-8.
About the Author:
ELAINE LOESER is a fiction writer, reformed lawyer, and
enthusiastic Chicagoan. While living in Los Angeles, she wrote for the
long-running NBC drama “Law & Order”, as well as other television dramas.
She is a member of The Writers Guild of America, West, The Chicago Literary
Club and New York Women in Film and Television. Loeser is the owner (the
accurate, but not preferred term) of two 21-year-old red-eared slider turtles
who inspired the events in her debut children’s book, The Case of the
Pinched Stradivarius. They were brought home one day from downtown L.A. by
her husband, Jerry, for whom this was and still is, standard operating
procedure. The events depicted here are fictional, and not based on any actual
people. The animals, however, are very real indeed. These are their stories…
About the Illustrator:
GREG ARVANITAKIS started drawing at a young age, mostly on
the walls in his house. His first illustrated book was completed while in
second grade, which won an award and placed in a state-wide young authors
contest. Thirty some years later, he illustrated author Elaine Loeser’s
children’s book, The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius. In between, he
attended school for art and design and becoming an art director. When not
drawing pictures, Arvanitakis spends time with his wife and two children, who
have been excited about and supportive of his most recent work as well as
valuable critics.
About Miles and Fargo:
They have had adventures in many cities, including Los Angeles,
Chicago and New York. Their vantage point has always been elevated and iconic.
They looked out on Dodger Stadium from Pasadena, on the Drake Hotel in Chicago,
and on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
Learn more about The Case of the Pinched
Stradivarius
on turtledetectives.com,
Facebook & Instagram.
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