• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Sheila, Rusty and Katie are on the road again. Fresh from their adventures in Barkerville, the trio is now in southern Alberta. Sheila has been anxiously anticipating her reunion with her father and is worried about how they will get along. Her fears are confirmed when they arrive at the Triple W Ranch and he is not there to greet them. When the police arrive, Sheila finds that her father is in big trouble. Developers want to take over his land to build new housing and a golf course and when the night watchman at the development is shot, all the evidence points to Sheila's father. Sheila tries to help out, but the clues she finds only make things worse. Is Sheila's dad guilty? She doesn't think so and with help from the others sets out to prove it.

Alberta Alibi is the third of three books in a series.
Book one is Mystery From History
Book two is Barkerville Gold

Dayle Campbell Gaetz grew up in Victoria and attended the University of Victoria. She has always loved books, both reading and writing them. Her writing career began on Salt Spring Island where she wrote her first 16 novels. For several years she wrote a column for the local weekly newspaper and published the occasional article in children's magazines. Dayle now lives in Campbell River, British Columbia where, in addition to her own writing, she teaches a correspondence course on Writing for Children and Teenagers. She has published 21 books for readers from ages seven to 17. Never knowing what idea will strike next, Dayle writes books that range from science fiction to history and from biography to mystery.

Thanks to a strong interest in British Columbian history, she wrote two historical novels that take place in B.C.'s early days. On the heels of those books came Mystery From History and Barkerville Gold, both with historical connections. She had meant to end there, but the three young characters refused quit at Barkerville. They have since travelled on to Alberta, (Alberta Alibi) and recently into Saskatchewan (Something Suspicious in Saskatchewan). Manitoba is calling to them next and it seems wherever they go the children trip over mystery and tumble into danger.

Dayle's other books from Orca include Sea Dog (Currents), the story of two lonely people, a seven year old boy and an old man who are brought together by their love of one dog. At the other end of childhood is No Problem (Soundings), where a 17 year old boy stands on the brink of drug abuse. In between is an Orca Currents, Spoiled Rotten, about an outdoors-loving 14 year old girl who needs to deal with a new stepsister who really is spoiled rotten.

For more information about Dayle, visit http://web.mac.com/gdgaetz.

Dayle Campbell Gaetz's profile page

• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Our Choice

Alberta Alibi

Alberta Alibi is the third adventure involving Sheila, Rusty and Katie. Sheila is visiting her father, Chris, on his ranch in the Alberta foothills. She is upset that he didn’t send a birthday present and that he seems more interested in his girlfriend’s son, Hartley, than her. The bad-guy developers have bought the neighbouring land and want Chris to sell too. But he is resisting. When the developer’s watchman is shot and a fire starts, Chris seems to be the obvious culprit. There are lots of red herrings, but Katie, the young detective, solves the mystery and all ends well with the land becoming a nature preserve and Sheila and her father developing a closer relationship. The book ends with a postscript about habitats for the grizzly and trumpeter swan. Previous books in the series are Mystery From History and Barkerville Gold.

Alberta Alibi

Alberta Alibi is the third adventure involving Sheila, Rusty and Katie. Sheila is visiting her father, Chris, on his ranch in the Alberta foothills. She is upset that he didn’t send a birthday present and that he seems more interested in his girlfriend’s son, Hartley, than her. The bad-guy developers have bought the neighbouring land and want Chris to sell too. But he is resisting. When the developer’s watchman is shot and a fire starts, Chris seems to be the obvious culprit. There are lots of red herrings, but Katie, the young detective, solves the mystery and all ends well with the land becoming a nature preserve and Sheila and her father developing a closer relationship. The book ends with a postscript about habitats for the grizzly and trumpeter swan. Previous books in the series are Mystery From History and Barkerville Gold.

Alberta Alibi

Sheila races against time to save her father in a fight with developers – and herself. The third thrilling mystery in this series also offers background material on conservation.