Diamond in the Rough

About the Book

Abby Diamond, Girl Detective, returns once again with her lovable and popular friends. Abby does not allow her visual impairment to stand in the way of her solving mysteries that surround her and Neils, Alison, Andrea, Jaxson and Glen. In the third novel of the series, "Diamond in the Rough", Abby and her friends meet up with children and adults who are not what they seem to be. Are the new friends in this series really ghosts or the figment of Abby's imagination? Children and adults will laugh when Abby and her gang learn about a mysterious boy named Cliff who takes them on a whirlwind of bicycle hills and mysteries. Abby grows up in the series and runs a detective agency with her best friends Jaxson and Neils. Did this really happen or is it simply Abby's imagination once again? Join Abby and her friends through this fast-paced novel that will leave children begging for more Adventures of Abby Diamond.

About the Author

About the Author Kristie Smith-Armand has been an educator for over twenty-eight years. She has received such teaching awards as Teacher of the Year and Apple Corp Teacher, and was twice nominated for Who's Who Among Special Educators. For the past ten years, she has taught visually impaired students, ages six months to twenty-two years old. Kristie is also a writer for The Dallas Morning News' Dallas Moms Blog, created by writer Nancy Churnin. Kristie has written and published over seventeen books in the past eight years. She has published activity books through Flaghouse Catalog in New Jersey, as well as books that teach sighted children how to read Braille, learning through nature's resources and teaching all infants through play, by Region 4 in Houston, Texas. Her series Dottie and Dots helps teach sighted children how to read 'representational' Braille through large print dots. Dottie and Dots See Animal Spots is now an Amazon Books bestseller and was featured on Channel 8 news in Dallas, Texas. Kristie is happy to do presentations that teach parents, professionals and children how to read Braille, share activities for working with infants and toddlers who have a visual impairment, as well as provide information about Braille Literacy. She has conducted over twenty-five trainings across the state of Texas that teach various topics on visual impairment to help the sighted community better understand the world of visual impairment . If you are interested in Kristie Smith-Armand to do a presentation or an author visit, please visit her website: www.dotsdottie.com About the Illustrator Jennifer Jones is a proud 2008 graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. As a college student, her leadership roles included serving as yearbook editor-in-chief, designing the logo, t-shirts and student manuals for the school’s freshman orientation, and writing for the student newspaper. Since graduation, Jennifer has applied her talents to her graphic design work with Temple Independent School District, local Target stores, and Renewable Energy Systems, Inc. She stays busy with various freelance projects ranging from text editing, children’s book illustrations, brochure design and wedding photography. She has also taught elementary and middle school art. Jennifer and her husband, Nick, currently live in Hewitt with their cocker spaniel, Lucy.