Ten-year old cousins, Sparky and Grey Bailey, find that they have superpowers the day they move in together. Only when they meet with a Gypsy woman do they understand their special powers. With only a Gypsy charm to protect them, they set off on the road to adventure, mystery, and danger.
The Secret of Bailey's Chase is my first book for middle-age children. I hope to make it the first of a two-book set. I set it in Indiana, in a small town called Bailey's Chase, which is very much like Vincennes, Indiana, where I spent my childhood. I hope oldsters as well as youngsters will enjoy the adventures of Sparky and Grey Bailey, ten-year-old cousins who each inherited half of their great-great-great-grandmother's special powers.
Professional Reviews
Midwest Book Review
THE SECRET OF BAILEY’S CHASE
Marlis Day
QUAKE, a division of Echelon Press, LLC,
9735 Country Meadows Lane 1-D, Laurel, MD 20723
ISBN: 978-1-59080-577-0 $10.99 U.S./$13.99 CAN
Shelley Glodowski
Midwest Book Review
February 16, 2009
Marlis Day is a teacher who loves kids. She has published three mysteries for adults, but her love of reading children’s stories and remembering her own childhood drove her to write her first book for middle-age kids. Thus the Sparky and Grey Bailey series was born. She is presently working on her next adventure featuring the Bailey cousins.
Bailey’s Chase was named for Granny Bailey, an old woman with blue eyes which changed colors and hair that seemed to throw off sparks. Everyone loved Granny Bailey, whose wisdom could cure small ills; whose hospitality made everyone feel welcome at her door; and whose love of animals extended to her being able to communicate with them. Granny was beloved by all, and when she died her gifts didn’t surface again until a tragedy brought her two great-great-great-granddaughters together:
“’Hi, I’m Sparky,’ the girl said, holding out her hand and staring curiously
at Grey’s face.
‘Do you know that your hair’s on FIRE?’ Grey asked while shaking hands.
Nobody else seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. She thought
she must be tired and seeing things. Hallucinating, that’s what people
called it. Grey had read about people hallucinating when they got tired,
but she had never done it. She shook her head and blinked, making sure
she was awake.
‘My hair’s not on fire,’ the girl said with a giggle, running a hand through
her hair just to prove it. Grey continued to stare, amazed at the sight.
The girl suddenly leaned forward, stared directly into Grey’s eyes, and
said, ‘Your eyes are funny though. They just changed colors!’”
With this premise, the stage is set for adventures that would make Nancy Drew jealous. The two cousins discover their gifts and how they relate to good and evil. Marlis Day creates a building block of character, action, and a wonderful plot to create an adventure the reader will never forget. Her skill is apparent throughout the book, as well as her love of children. Sparky and Grey are great role models for middle-school children, and Marlis Day’s jewel of a book could be used in any classroom to entice young minds.
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