BARE BONES BENEATH THE FLOORBOARDS

The weeklong winter break comes to the schools of Mill Creek, and BEANS' mother PAULIE surprises BEANSs with a short five-day trip to Sarasota, Florida, to visit GRAMS. BEANS is eager to go but worries about the plane ride since it will be her first experience in the air. During take off, she receives news from GRAMS that there's a mysterious object lodged in her new living room floor, one that BEANS needs to inspect upon arrival. Once the plane safely lands, a relieved BEANS and her mother PAULIE hitch a ride with GRAMS from the airport. After breakfast and a quick trip to the post office, GRAMS excitedly breaks the news that they will all head to Walt Disney World for a short getaway during their stay, a belated Christmas gift for the three of them. Eager to scour the parks, BEANS studies maps of each land from her grandmother's breakfront and strategizes their visit. She also investigates the odd piece in GRAMS' floor, but there is little time and limited access to study or identify it. Preoccupied by the mystery back at GRAMS' house, BEANS half-heartedly tours Magic Kingdom. However, her experience on the attraction Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland will prove more daunting than expected. Beans doesn't realize that her rendezvous with pirates will also follow her back to her grandmother's place in Sarasota.

The weeklong winter break comes to the schools of Mill Creek, and BEANS' mother PAULIE surprises BEANSs with a short five-day trip to Sarasota, Florida, to visit GRAMS. BEANS is eager to go but worries about the plane ride since it will be her first experience in the air. During take off, she receives news from GRAMS that there's a mysterious object lodged in her new living room floor, one that BEANS needs to inspect upon arrival. Once the plane safely lands, a relieved BEANS and her mother PAULIE hitch a ride with GRAMS from the airport. After breakfast and a quick trip to the post office, GRAMS excitedly breaks the news that they will all head to Walt Disney World for a short getaway during their stay, a belated Christmas gift for the three of them. Eager to scour the parks, BEANS studies maps of each land from her grandmother's breakfront and strategizes their visit. She also investigates the odd piece in GRAMS' floor, but there is little time and limited access to study or identify it. Preoccupied by the mystery back at GRAMS' house, BEANS half-heartedly tours Magic Kingdom. However, her experience on the attraction Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland will prove more daunting than expected. Beans doesn't realize that her rendezvous with pirates will also follow her back to her grandmother's place in Sarasota.

Ali LaVecchia is the author of the MG (Middle Grade) Booger and Beans Mystery Series. Her first book The Case of the White Knight received "5 Stars out of 5 Stars" on Good Reads followed by Mystery at Mill Creek Bridge and A Zombie on Peacock Hill, respectively. Ali continues the series with A Treasure in Satan's Knoll, The Case of the Mascot's Missing Fire, Voices Beyond the Hidden Staircase, The Ghost on the Front Porch, The Secret in the Old Scrapbook and The Case of the Vanishing Mail. For thirty-two years, Ali worked as a high school and middle school English, Acting, Public Speaking, Creative Writing and Film teacher. She also served as a department facilitator and Director of Curriculum and Instruction in NJ public school districts. During those years, Ali directed over sixty-one plays and musicals and served as advisor and coach of Drama Club, Peer Leadership and World AIDS Alliance. Since 1991, Ali presented several writing projects at the National Council Teachers of English (NCTE) conventions and appeared in the organization's publications. Her poetry has been showcased at the annual Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, too. She is a New Jersey native who lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with her husband John. Her days are filled with teaching in the Master of Arts in Teaching program for Fairleigh Dickinson University (mentoring, training and field supervising new as well as veteran teachers, K-12), acting as a SAG-AFTRA member in regional films and television, and, of course, writing more mysteries, starring Booger and Beans. Currently, Ali is also seeking publishers for three children's picture books, two women's fiction novels and a nonfiction MG book on Dr. James Still, historic herbologist and black doctor of the Pines. With any extra time, Ali enjoys worldwide travels, countryside bike rides and time with her adult children and granddaughters Evelina and Fiona plus grandson Cameron.