Do you dare enter Dr. Frankenstein’s la-BOR-uh-tree? A fearless quartet of teen sleuths, the Botanic Hill detectives, travel to Llanfair, a fictitious Welsh village in present-day California, to solve the mystery of the Shocking Specter. The green-glowing apparition reportedly roams the countryside, setting fire to buildings and meadows during the new moon. The occurrences began shortly after a motion picture stagehand Scotty Roberts’s accidental death by electrocution in this case inspired by the filming of Universal Pictures’ 1931 classic horror movie Frankenstein . Supernatural? Coincidence? Or is criminal activity at work? And why, nearly a century later, has the Shocking Specter returned? Readers will enjoy learning about real-life horror film star Boris Karloff, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, other key players in the movie’s production, and some early Hollywood cinematic history. Our fabulous four might need to kick some monsters to the curb to solve this challenging mystery! "Upas Street: Shocking Specter guarantees surprises and delights for elementary and middle school readers! They will enthusiastically turn the pages as reading works its magic to develop their imaginations and teach them about movie pioneers. Sherrill Joseph, thank you for including many spot-on references to my father that do justice to his legacy. Congratulations! You have written a winner." --SARA KARLOFF, daughter of horror movie icon Boris Karloff "Follow our detectives to the fictitious Welsh settlement of Llanfair, California, as they chase a green-glowing specter and get caught up in a riveting mystery that will introduce young readers to the magic of old Hollywood horror movies. Kids will stay intrigued from start to finish." --KIMBERLEY KRAMER, Literacy Specialist, Saint Katharine Drexel Academy, San Diego, CA "I loved this book and could not put it down! I loved learning about the Hollywood monsters from the old-timey days and meeting the people of Llanfair. You will not be sad that you chose this book to read." --SOPHIA O., age 10, San Diego, CA "As a professor of the History of Film and Monster and Character Makeup Design, I was intrigued from the first page of this book! Hollywood's Golden Age is brought to life in the young protagonists' eyes through their exploration of Universal Studios' Frankenstein franchise. Joseph's charming and intelligent detectives invite readers to search for clues and secret messages (Easter eggs) in this horror-movie-inspired mystery." --SHARON LYNN, award-winning author of A Cotswold Crimes Mystery series; aka SHARON BOLMAN, Senior Professor of Film, UAT, Tempe, AZ I became a lifelong Universal classic horror film fan as a little girl. I would grab some popcorn, plunk myself down in front of the living room's big-box television set, turn on Shock Theater, and enter the black-and-white scary worlds of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney, Jr.   Universal Pictures re-released fifty-two horror classics in 1957 for many reasons, one of which was to capture a new audience of young viewers. Halloween or not, the time of year did not matter to this captive. Those movies set in castle ruins, cemetery crypts, ancient Egypt, and old country villages transported me to myste­rious places that ignited my love of stories and desire to read and write.   In Upas [YOU-pus ]Street: Shocking Specter, I have put an enormous twist on history, allowing my imagination free rein to create a mystery set in an old Welsh village in Llanfair, California, while also pretending that Universal Pictures visited there in 1931 to film its Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies. But Llanfair exists only in this book.   The classic horror movies were, for the most part, filmed at Universal Studios, Hollywood, on "Stage 12" and in the "Court of Miracles," the courtyard area of "Little Europe." The laboratory scenes where Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant brought the monster to life were also filmed there, not in Llanfair. If you live in or visit the Los Angeles area, I encourage you to take a tour of Universal Studios. If you are a horror movie fan, you will recog­nize the arch through which the Frankenstein monster stomped into the village, and the buildings that conjure up Conliffe's Antique Shop!   In this, my sixth Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries book, the historical information about Boris Karloff, Kenneth Strickfaden, Jack Pierce, and Mary Shelley is true; however, any connections or interactions between these personalities and Llanfair villagers is pure make-believe. As to the monster's neck bolts, reportedly, makeup artist Jack Pierce gave those electrodes to Boris Karloff. But in the 1940s, someone allegedly stole them from Mr. Karloff's London residence. They are still missing!   The monster's black jacket, that I imagined was in Rhi Burton's closet in Llanfair, was designed by Jack Pierce for Frankenstein. Mr. Karloff's monster wardrobes for his second and third Frankenstein movie