Mysteries on Monroe Street

Ernestine & Amanda #4

by Sandra Belton

Helping in the opening of a new dance studio, Ernestine and Amanda are on the case when the studio is vandalized and consider putting aside their differences in order to catch the culprit.

Genres: Historical Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

from Contemporary Authors Online: Sandra Belton has published a number of well-received picture books for children in addition to novels for young adults that include the award-winning McKendree. She is perhaps best known for her "Ernestine and Amanda" series about two African-American girls growing up in the 1950s. In an interview with Janice DelNegro for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books online, Belton noted that the series is enriched by her own experiences as a youngster in small-town West Virginia. "Ernestine and Amanda are the keepers of my childhood memories and dreams," the author remarked. "Their voices echo the ones I heard while chasing lightning bugs and playing at twilight with the kids down the street. The homes they live in and the schools and churches they attend paint a picture of the neighborhoods that nurtured all of us. The events of their lives and the heroes they celebrate are the ones of our heritage."