Danger At Lakeside Farm:

Following her stepparents' arrest, Max lived with Jessie for a while. Then she moved in with an elderly neighbor, Amelia, on her farm by the lake. Soon strange things start happening: Amelia's tires are slashed and there is a break-in at the house. Is someone trying to make Amelia leave the farm? What will happen to Max?

The Secrets Of Ghost Island:

Max and Jessie get involved in a new adventure involving a trio of recently-orphaned children, who set up camp on nearby Ghost Island trying to escape deportation back to Mexico. In the meantime, a series of burglaries in town has police concerned that a gang of professional thieves is involved. When the girls get involved to help the orphans, they stumble upon the thieves' camp and are trapped.

The Trouble With Max:

Jessie Miller knows that good friends are hard to find, especially since most kids steer clear of her. It’s not that Jessie isn’t nice. It’s her bald head. Having Leukemia just freaks kids out. Not Max Hunter, though. Max is Jessie’s new best friend. The more Jessie gets to know Max, though, the more she suspects that Max is having a lot of trouble at home. Jessie investigates and what she discovers puts her in a tough spot. Should she risk losing her best friend in order to save her?

These books are suspenseful and fun. It deals with some very heavy topics for young readers in a way that isn’t heavy. I read it aloud to my seven-year-old son and he didn’t want me to stop. He was drawn in by Jessie’s Leukemia and Max’s home life. He wanted to know that everything would be okay for these girls. Pat Rushford dealt with both circumstances with wisdom and reality. Life isn’t always perfect, people come in all shapes and sizes and don’t always agree with everything you think, but God loves you and them very much.
Highly Recommended.