• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Salt & Pepper are back!
And once again, the two reluctant teenaged detectives are thrown into the middle of a weird mystery. When a Hollywood studio chooses Riverbend as the location for their new western, Pepper McKenzie decides to try out for a role, and she drags her best friend, Salt, along. But it soon becomes clear that this is no normal movie shoot. The producer and his assistant act more like gangsters than businessmen. And the stars appear to be hypnotized--like zombies, or robots! Could this have something to do with the weird machine Salt spotted at film headquarters”
When Pepper goes missing, Salt is forced to recruit little brother Hal and his buddies to help. Pepper finally does turn up, but she's not quite herself. Before long, the friends have uncovered a devious plot--one that threatens the entire town of Riverbend. Will they be able to stop it in time to save the day”
Praise for The Salt & Pepper Chronicles:
“A new series about the outrageous escapades of two young girls begins wonderfully with a pair of well-written adventure stories, which young readers — especially girls — will find very appealing. Poulsen constructs genuine characters within the books — especially in terms of the realistic and dysfunctional, yet comical, family relationships. Readers of The Salt & Pepper Chronicles will enjoy the plot and take pleasure in the interactions between characters. The thoughtful and deliberate manner in which Poulsen introduces and maintains the banter between Salt and her “pain-in-the-butt” brother Hal, makes the books memorable. Poulsen's storytelling nature is a great mix of gentle suspense, combined with an amusing commentary throughout [the books].” “Canadian Children's Book News

David A. Poulsen has been a broadcaster, teacher, professional cowboy, football coach, stage and film actor and—most of all—writer. His writing career began in earnest when his story The Welcomin’ won the 1984 Alberta Culture Short Story Competition. Now the author of 27 books, many for middle readers and young adults, David spends 60 to 80 days a year in classrooms and libraries across Canada (and beyond) as a visiting author/presenter. The UBC Creative Writing alumnus and former Writer in Residence at the Saskatoon Public Library recently made his inaugural foray into the world of adult crime fiction with Serpents Rising, the best-selling first book in the Cullen and Cobb Mystery series. There are now four titles in the series and the fourth—None So Deadly—hit bookstores in the spring of 2019. The Man Called Teacher, coming in 2019, is his first adult western. David lives on a small ranch in Alberta’s foothills where he and his wife Barb raise and train running-bred quarter horses for barrel racing competitions.

David A. Poulsen's profile page

The Hunk Machine (The Salt and Pepper Chronicles)

Whether best friends, Salt (aka Christine) and Pepper (aka Patti) are travelling across the ocean or across town, predicaments they find themselves in are equally entertaining! A new series about the outrageous escapades of two young girls begins wonderfully with a pair of well- written adventures stories, which young readers – especially girls – will find very appealing. David A. Poulsen creates the characters of Salt and Pepper, a dynamic team, who are faced with unusual and quirky adventures. Poulsen constructs genuine characters within the books – especially in terms of the realistic and dysfunctional, yet comical, family relationships.

The Hunk Machine is even more entertaining than The Vampire’s Visit. When Hollywood hunks come to Riverbend to make a western movie, Pepper is consumed with becoming a star. She gets in over her head and Salt is forced to take action, along with the half-hearted support from her little brother, Hal. Salt and Pepper work to discover why the gorgeous, horse riding hunks appear to be brainwashed and are working for a creepy movie producer in their little town of Riverbend.

Readers of The Salt and Pepper Chronicles will enjoy the plot and take pleasure in the interactions between characters. The thoughtful and deliberate manner in which Poulsen introduces and maintains the banter between Salt and her “pain-in-the-butt” brother Hal, makes the books memorable. Poulsen’s storytelling nature is a great mix of gentle suspense, combined with an amusing commentary throughout The Salt and Pepper Chronicles. The books would be a great accompaniment within an integrated unit on Mystery or Evidence and Investigation.