Please help me welcome Barnaby Q. Percival and his friends (old and new, furry and not so furry) to my blog! 

The release of my first middle grade fiction book, What About Barnaby? (A Gumshoe Crew Mystery), took place on April 1st.  No, it wasn't an April Fools' joke!  But it was a quiet launch, so I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce you to some of the characters in the book and give the kids a challenge at the end of this post.

Barnaby Q. Percival is a crazy mutt, at least that's how Zeke describes him.  He never goes anywhere without his squeaky toy... well, never until today.  Oh, no, Barnaby has disappeared and he's left his squeaky toy behind!

Zeke is a neighbor of Barnaby's and his owner, Mr. Jensen.  Like most kids, he thinks life in his little town is just plain, old boring.  The mystery of Barnaby's disappearance is just the thing to bring adventure to his little corner of Hedgewood.

Scotty is Zeke's best friend.  He's definitely a "unique individual" and you'll see just how as you read What About Barnaby?  Scotty teams up with Zeke to try to decipher the mystery of the missing mutt.

Then there's Mrs. Peyton, one of Zeke's favorite people.  She's a sweet old lady who bakes the most delicious chocolate chip cookies in the world.  She knows something that will help Zeke and Scotty with their detective work but they don't know it yet... and they'll really be surprised when they find out!

The kids work tirelessly to find Barnaby.  They make some new friends along the way who pitch in to help solve the mystery.  I hope you'll come along on their adventure.  Who knows, they may even ask you to be a member of The Gumshoe Crew!

What About Barnaby? (A Gumshoe Crew Mystery) is available for the Kindle. 

Okay, kids, here's your challenge.  Can you decipher the secret code below?  If you can, email the answer to me at martha@readtomepublishingllc.com.  [NOTE TO PARENTS: The safety of your children is important to me. Please supervise children when they are on-line.] 

I will pick one correct entry, at random, to win a free Kindle copy of What About Barnaby?  With parent's approval I will announce the winner's first name here on Friday, April 12, 2013.

SECRET MESSAGE:

Zeke's Tree House has some cool features!

Here are a few clues: 

e = E

h = H

t = T

Here's another clue:  Pigpen

Good luck and as always... stay cool!

Martha