ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Wylie is a retiree, having worked as a professor in London and Cambridge universities in England
and then at the University of Minnesota and Cincinnati Children's hospital in the US. She studied
the development of the early frog embryo and taught medical students and undergraduates.
Throughout her career she has worked alongside her fellow-scientist, and husband, Chris. In
retirement Janet has tried her hand at writing middle grade fiction, with Menace in the Mist being
the first product of that effort. She also enjoys painting, gardening, jogging and hosting occasional
visits with her four children and seven grand-children.

ABOUT THE BOOK
There are two themes in Menace in the Mist. The first is the struggle of Cally, age 12 and Giles,
age 14 to take some control of their lives made difficult by middle school stressors and family
tragedy. The second is the protagonists' outrage over their discovery of a toxic waste dump and
the possibility that it is poisoning the environment and making people sick. The themes intersect
as the investigation of the poisoned landscape brings Cally and Giles together and gives them
agency to have fun while finding answers. The mystery draws from the work of the author's daughter, Sara,
about fracking which taught her about the environmental health concerns surrounding oil
and gas extraction.
Today's kids, like Cally and Giles, have tough environmental problems to face. I wanted these
characters to embody the feelings of responsibility and strength of purpose of youth, to reflect
that, while having fun, kids also use their brains to tackle hard issues with speed, confidence and
success.