{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Magic, Mystery & The Incredible Phyllis Wong","description":"In this episode, Jed welcomes back Australian author Geoffrey McSkimming, creator of the much\u2011loved Phyllis Wong and Cairo Jim series. Geoffrey joins from Sydney to celebrate Phyllis Wong and the Lure of the Lighthouse, the eighth book in the series, and talks about why Phyllis remains one of his favorite characters\u2014resourceful, brilliant, magical, and deeply inspired by his wife, Sue-Anne Webster, a renowned stage magician. Geoffrey explains how magic and mystery writing overlap: both rely on misdirection, red herrings, and staying several steps ahead of the audience. He shares how he loves constructing mysteries that feel surprising but satisfying, so readers say, \u201cThat got me!\u201d instead of feeling let down at the end. He also reveals he\u2019s working on a new collection of interrelated, humorous mystery short stories for young and young-at-heart readers. Language is at the heart of Geoffrey\u2019s writing. He talks about using rich but accessible vocabulary, giving kids context clues instead of talking down to them. He recalls how acting in Shakespeare plays immersed him in great language and how many of his early readers grew up to become professionals\u2014some even crediting his books and their sophisticated language as an influence. Later in the episode, Jed chats briefly with Barbara Brown, an elementary music teacher and author of I Am Musical: Adventures with Waffles. Barbara shares how her picture book\u2014starring her real-life dog Waffles\u2014aims to remind kids that being musical isn\u2019t about perfection or virtuosity; it\u2019s about how music makes you feel, connect, and communicate. ","author_name":"Reading With Your Kids Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com\/site","html":"