When I brought Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters into my home, it immediately created a mystery of its own. Every time I went to grab the book from where I had left it, the book had vanished! Leave it on the side table and a few minutes later Poof! empty table. Leave it on the chair and next thing I know Puff! nothing there. Since it is exceedingly difficult to interview an author about a book you haven’t read, I had to get to the bottom of this book’s disappearing act. (Plus, if I could discover the source of this vanishing power, maybe I could harness it to clean my house!) Once the book re-appeared, I laid it in the middle of the living room floor like bait in a trap and . . . Snap! caught my eight year old and my ten year old in the act of swiping it to read. I couldn’t have been happier to discover that the cause of my confusion was my boys’ love of this fascinating book! (And I did harness their powers to clean their rooms.)
Today I’m interviewing Susan Martineau author of Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters an engaging middle grade browseable book that examines evidence of mysterious circumstances and spooky happenings like: Does the Loch Ness Monster actually exist? What made the Black Death so lethal? And was there really a documented case of time travel? My boys were drawn in by the colorful illustrations and case-file design then held captive by the often eerie information.
So, if you are feeling brave. . . let’s investigate!
Emily Starr: What sparked the idea for Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters, and what made you want to dive into these topics?
Susan Martineau: I’ve always loved reading about mysteries and strange or extreme events. My dad was really into all things mysterious, so there were a lot of books in our house for a budding mystery fan like me. The one I remember best is the Reader’s Digest Book of Strange Stories and Amazing Facts. I used to pore over it in fascination and horror (usually when I was supposed to be doing my homework)! I became quite obsessed with trying to work out what had really happened and if any of it was true! It was handy to be taken on holiday to Scotland so I could sit for hours by Loch Ness in Scotland in the hope of spotting the monster. As an adult, I’ve now visited quite a few of the places mentioned in the book. I am disappointed to say I didn’t see Bigfoot when I was hiking in California or Queen Marie-Antoinette at the palace of Versailles in Paris. I still love mysteries, though, and for as long as I have been a writer, I have wanted to write my own book about strange happenings and unexplained events. It was amazing to finally get the chance!
Emily Starr: Fifty mysteries is a lot of rabbit holes to go down! Because many of our blog readers are also authors, can you please share how you managed so much research?
Susan Martineau: It was a huge task, but so enjoyable, and it certainly did lead me down an incredible number of rabbit holes—and some pretty weird and wacky ones at times! Once I’d decided which mysteries and disasters to include, I read as much as I could about each one. I tried to go back to primary sources like eyewitness statements and diary entries where possible. I looked at any videos or photos, and I read the books that some people had written about their experiences. I checked out newspaper reports, documentaries, and other secondary source material, too. The whole time I was asking, “How reliable or credible are these witnesses or reports?” and “What are the theories being put forward to explain these mysteries?” I always tried to find as many sources as I could to corroborate what was being said or written. In the case of the disasters, I also checked what the specialist experts or organizations said or did about the terrible events. It left me in awe of the bravery of some of these people, like volcanologists who put their lives at risk to figure out when a volcano might next erupt.
Emily Starr: Was there any mystery that you felt more convinced was true after you read all of the evidence? If so, why?
Susan Martineau: There is one form of “haunting” that I find especially fascinating and really rather comforting. These are the “friendly ghosts,” or Third Man Syndrome. There are many stories about folks in danger or difficult situations being “visited” by a benign presence (often a deceased loved one) who helps them get through and watches over them. I read a brilliant book by John Geiger called The Third Man Factor as part of my research. I was blown away by just how many people, from NASA astronauts and extreme mountaineers, have experienced this. It may be our own brains conjuring these “ghosts,” but I think there’s something to it, and I want to believe in it!
Emily Starr: How would you recommend educators use your book to teach students about disinformation and misinformation?
Susan Martineau: I love the idea that educators might use my book for this essential critical literacy skill. It’s so important for students to navigate the jungle of content out there on the internet and in other forms, too. I would try to make it fun, though! After sharing one of the mysteries from my book plus case file, maybe the students could choose another mystery or disaster (there are some suggestions for further investigations in the book) and research it. They could then make their own case file, along the lines of the ones in the book. They might draw diagrams or timelines to analyze the information. However, the most important thing is for students to consider WHO is writing or presenting the information, WHY they are writing it, and WHEN it was written. Can the students find the most reliable sources of information and corroborate it across more than one source? It is important to encourage healthy skepticism and enable students to think for themselves. My tips for all budding mystery investigators are: keep an open mind, follow the facts, and try not to be influenced by emotion or fear!
Emily Starr: The book is designed like a series of case files. While making the content look appealing, it also helps young readers to access the text. How did you come up with that organization idea?
I am so lucky to have a wonderful designer and illustrator, Vicky Barker, working with me. I wanted the first double-page spread of each mystery to “tell the story” and get the reader hooked on it without having too much to read. I think Vicky’s artwork really helps get things rolling along. Then I asked her to design a “detective”-style pinboard for the second double-page spread so that it would change the tone and make it like a serious investigation. I love watching detective shows, and I wanted it to look like one of those old-fashioned pinboards with sticky notes and bits of evidence, along with visuals and the main theories that might explain what has happened. It was important to have a “follow the experts” section for all of the disasters, too, as I really wanted to reassure young readers that there are wonderful people out there trying to prevent disasters from happening. The inclusion of “Big Words” is something I love to put into all my books, as I like learning new words myself!
Emily Starr: Were there any mysteries you uncovered that didn’t make the book? If so, could you share one and why it was excluded?
There were so many mysteries on my list, and it’s growing all the time! In fact, I have just published two books in the UK that include many of the stories I could not include this time. Tales of Scary Beasts and Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings also tell the stories of weird occurrences and unnerving mysteries followed by a “let’s investigate” section for each chapter so that readers can flex their critical muscles.
I had some misgivings about including Spontaneous Human Combustion in Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters at first, but it was one of the stories that always fascinated me (such a gruesome child!) as a young Reader’s Digest reader! It made the cut, and I believe that, like me, children have quite an appetite for this kind of tale!
However, there are some very peculiar mystery stories that I feel are not appropriate for young readers. I haven’t included UFO abductions in any of the books. I started to feel a bit uneasy about the accounts I was reading and the unpleasant things that people said happened to them.
Emily Starr: Are there any future projects in the works you can share with our readers?
I’ve been working on new editions of two other books I’ve written recently. How to Question Everything and How to Think Like a Scientist are toolkits for young readers to learn critical literacy skills. It is essential for them to be able to see clearly through the bombardment of information coming at them through social media and other platforms. The new editions include information and advice on AI-generated content. Students need to be aware of how AI is used, and how it is teaching itself to use information and data. I’ve also included some fun activities in both books and hope they can be of use to educators.
My aim is to enable young readers to be nimble, confident, and thorough fact-finders, unafraid of being curious about the wonderful world around them. My motto, learned from my father, is “Be brave and always think for yourself!”
Susan Martineau was born in London, but has lived in various parts of the world including Holland, France and Malaysia. She has written over 30 books for children and won the Blue Peter Book with Facts Award for her book Real-life Mysteries. She is fascinated by strange and weird information and tries to shine a light into the most unusual corners of the world, sparking a passion for discovery and curiosity in her readers. Susan spends a good deal of her time lost on the internet or rummaging through libraries researching, unearthing and checking facts for her books. She loves quiz programs and annoys her family by thinking she knows the answers. (Sometimes she does!) Keep your eyes peeled for new titles exploring the world around us.
As a former fourth grade teacher and founder of StarrMatica, a STEM publishing company, Emily Starr has developed award-winning K-5 science curriculumand professional learning materials for 20 years. She is a member of the Iowa State Science Leadership Team, a peer reviewer for the National Science Teaching Association’s journal Science and Children, and a frequent presenter at state and national education conferences. Her debut middle grade nonfiction book will be released in 2026 from the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation.
As a Thai-American MG author, I personally love discovering the commonalities between different Southeast Asian cultures. What are some key cultural elements or traditions from Malaysia and the Philippines you knew you had to include in your stories?
