Christian Mystery Series for 8-12 Year Old Kids
What if your small town had a mystery so old that nobody alive remembered the truth anymore…
What if someone handed you a stack of ancient journals, coded messages, and a map that led straight to a secret buried for generations?
And what if solving the mystery meant learning to trust a voice you weren’t even sure was real — and pray when you didn’t know if anyone was listening?
Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast—where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys.
Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.
I’m your host, Laurie Christine. I’m an author, bible teacher, wife, and mom to four wild, wonderful, boys. I’m the author of the Dragon Slayer Bible Series, adventure-packed biblical fiction and devotions for middle-grade boys.
Our guest authors today are Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer.
Jen Weaver is the co-author of the middle grade mystery novel, The Mystery of the Missing Falls, and the author of A Wife’s Secret to Happiness and A Beckoning to Wonder. Jen is a respected Bible teacher, podcast host of Good God Talks, and founder and executive director of Life with God Ministries. She’s been featured on Focus on the Family, FamilyLife Radio, Real Talk with Rachael, and many more. Find her at thejenweaver.com.
Gayle Veitenheimer is the other co-author of The Mystery of the Missing Falls. She’s also a Bible teacher, speaker, and blogger. Her new podcast, The Christian Grandparenting Podcast, debuted in January 2026. Learn more about Gayle at gayleveitenheimer.com.
Kingswell Kid Detectives: The Mystery of the Missing Falls
Christian Mystery Series for 8-12 Year Old Kids
In The Mystery of the Missing Falls, the thrilling first installment in the forthcoming Kingswell Kid Detectives series, authors Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer combine page-turning suspense, interactive storytelling, and rich biblical truth to create a middle grade adventure kids genuinely won’t want to put down.
More than simply a Christian mystery novel, this is an immersive reading experience that invites young readers to solve the case alongside the characters through hidden clues, detective files, coded messages, maps, and journal entries woven directly into the story.
The story follows fifth-grade cousins Luka and Ember, two aspiring detectives determined to put their new detective agency on the map by solving Kingswell Falls’ oldest unsolved mystery: the disappearance of the town’s legendary waterfalls. When rival cousins Jake and Callie Kingswell bring them ancient journals, hidden maps, and clues tied to a generations-old family conflict, the young detectives are pulled into an unforgettable adventure involving Cherokee history, buried secrets, and questions much bigger than treasure.
But beneath the high-energy mystery lies the heartbeat of the series: helping kids understand that God is actively involved in everyday life.
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW
Kingswell Kid Detectives by Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer
Laurie: “We have two guest authors today, and I’m so excited to chat with them. We have Jen Weaver and Gail Weitenheimer.”
“Jen Weaver is the co-author of the middle-grade mystery novel The Mystery of the Missing Falls and the author of A Wife’s Secret to Happiness and A Beckoning to Wonder.
“Jen is a respected Bible teacher, podcast host, and founder and executive director of Life with God Ministries. She’s been featured on Focus on the Family, Family Life Radio, Real Talk with Rachel, and many more. You can find her at thejenweaver.com.
“And then we also have Gayle Veitenheimer. She is the other co-author of The Mystery of the Missing Falls. She’s also a Bible teacher, speaker, and blogger. Her new podcast, the Christian Grandparenting Podcast, debuted in January of 2026. And you can find Gayle at gailveitenheimer.com.
“Jen and Gayle, welcome to the Sword and Story Podcast.”
Jen Weaver: “Thanks for having us.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Thank you, Laurie. Thanks for having us.”
Laurie: “Well, I am excited to hear about your new series. It is a Christian mystery series, and I love mysteries. But before we dive in and talk about your book, can you each tell us just a little bit about who you are and what you do, and specifically where you are in your parenting journey? Gayle, why don’t you start for us?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Right. I am past the parenting journey. I have four grown children, three boys and one girl, and I am in the grandparenting stage now, which is so much fun. And that’s where a lot of my focus goes. I discipled my children growing up, and now I get to focus on the grandkids, which is a lot of fun.”
Laurie: “That is so fun. And you had three boys and one girl, so I always love connecting with moms of boys. How do your grandchildren divide up as far as boys and girls?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Right now we are dead even. We have two babies coming in September, and we are still tied, but there is a new one coming in spring, and that will be our tiebreaker.”
Laurie: “Very fun. Very fun. All right. And Jen, tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah. So my husband and I are parents of two boys. They are young still, so ages eight and eleven right now. And so the fact that they’re quiet is because they are amply supplied with snacks right now as we’re having this conversation. My house is rarely ever this still and quiet. But I love the energy of being a boy mom. I love all the adventures that we get to go on together, and yeah, it’s a fun season as a family.”
Laurie: “Well, I’m excited that you have written this series with boys in mind, the Kingswell Kid Detective series. And the first book that we’re going to talk about is called The Mystery of the Missing Falls. So that’s the first book in this series. What would you say is the target age for this series?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “The target age is readers eight to twelve.”
Laurie: “Okay.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “So, middle grade.”
Laurie: “Yeah. For our listeners, I just wanted to clarify that middle grade is eight to twelve. It’s not middle school, which could be up through, like, you know—”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Confusing.”
Laurie: “Thirteen, fourteen. Yeah. So, yeah, eight- to twelve-year-olds. And it is a mystery series, but it is a very unique mystery series. So tell us a little bit about why this series is unique.
“There are two different things that I’m going to specifically talk about. One is the interactive elements of the story, but then also some of the discipleship elements. So, Jen, why don’t we talk about the interactive elements first? Tell us a little bit about how this mystery series is unique and a little bit different than your typical mystery novel.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, so we really wanted to create a story that would bring kids in alongside the characters to get to know God better, to be part of solving the mystery as Luca and Ember, who are cousins and kid detectives, are solving the mystery of, in this case, the waterfalls that gave their town its name but disappeared over a hundred years ago. And in the midst of this, Luca and Ember are getting to know God more. They’re learning about prayer and how to hear God’s voice.
“And so our hope is that kids would practice alongside that. So they’re following along, they’re trying to figure out, ‘Okay, well, what could those symbols mean on the map? And I wonder if I could hear God the same way that that character is.’ And so we are trying to bring so many different interactive components to it by including life with God as part of the adventure and the mystery.”
Laurie: “Yeah, that’s super fun. I love that you’re encouraging the readers to solve the mystery along with your characters. So as they’re reading, I think I saw on your website there are case files and things like that. Tell me a little bit about some of those special elements.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, so the Kids Club for our book club readers goes far beyond the books. And that’s available—it’s totally free—on the Kingswell Kids website. And we have a ton of different resources that are available there, including right now. So anyone, even if you haven’t gotten the book yet, you can jump over to KingswellKids.com and look at it. Gayle, do you want to talk a little bit about those resources?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Sure. There’s a special spot for parents. It’s called Secret Clues. And we have pulled all the spiritual content in the book, with Scripture that goes with it and with a short application for it, just to give parents a conversation point to engage with their kid as the kids are engaging with our characters.
“But there are also fun things like Mad Libs and codes to break, and information about Ember and Luca. There’s also, I think, posted today, Jen, a YouVersion devotional written from Luca’s point of view. And we’ve got one for each of the four main characters in The Mystery of the Missing Falls. And that will be coming out over the next month or two.”
Laurie: “That’s really fun. Yeah, I’ll have links to your website, the series website, in the show notes for this episode. So as kids are reading through the mystery book, I know different authors have different ways of presenting the mystery, but I’m curious: Could the readers potentially solve the mystery? Will they have all the clues to solve the mystery as they’re going through, or is it more just that only the characters in the story are going to be able to solve the mystery?”
Jen Weaver: “The readers won’t be able to solve it ahead of them, but they’ll be able to pick up clues along the way as Luca and Ember are putting different pieces together. And our very intentional readers will probably start noticing some things even before the characters start talking about them.”
Laurie: “Okay. That’s really fun. I’m currently—my next book in my series is a mystery, and it’ll be the first mystery in the series. It’ll be the first book in my series that is a mystery. So I’m just curious how you’re handling that. So that’s super fun.
“Okay, so I do want to talk a little bit more. I want to dive into some of the discipleship themes throughout the book. But first, just give us an overview of the plot. What is the book about? What is the story?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Do you want me to take that one, Jen? So, the story takes place the week of Founders Day. And every Founders Day, there’s a contest for people to find where the original waterfalls were because they disappeared a hundred years ago when an early dam broke. There are also rumors that there is a treasure associated with the original falls.
“And as Luca and Ember launch their detective agency, Luca gets the idea, ‘If we solve this mystery, it will put us on the map.’ And they begin to pray about it.
“Enter the Kingswell cousins, who happen to be from rival branches of the founding family. They’ve got special information that none of the other contestants have. And so the four kids begin to work together, looking through old journals and old maps, trying to figure out a mysterious coded key on Noble’s old map. Noble is the founder. They’re using his old map to try to get a bead on where the original falls were.”
Laurie: “That sounds like so much fun. And I was also reading that there are some Cherokee elements, like Native American elements, in the story as well. How does that tie into the plotline?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Jen, you want to take that one?”
Jen Weaver: “Sure. So when we’re looking at this town that’s been founded for multiple generations, it’s a fictional town. There is no real Kingswell Falls on a U.S. map, but we wanted it to have some resonance with actual history in that time period. And so it was very likely that no matter where we picked it in the Midwest, there were going to be Native Americans who had that land and lived in those areas.
“And so we identified a tribe. It is not official Cherokee history, but it’s based on that tribe and that culture. And we got to work with a cultural consultant to help us make sure that we’re representing that accurately and with great sensitivity. His insights brought so many different details to life, including how the Cherokee people would bend trees to show directions.
“And I don’t want to give away too many fun things that are in the story, but it was a great, fun way to bring in that cultural aspect to the vibrancy of this multicultural, multigenerational town.”
Laurie: “That is so fun. And I’m sure that kids, especially boys reading—who doesn’t love a good mystery that has some Native American lore and mythology and that kind of stuff in it? That is super fun.
“And I love that you guys have been really intentional about just focusing on some of the spiritual themes throughout the book, and I know that you especially want this book to be a discipleship tool for families. So talk a little bit about some of those themes throughout the book that come out and how our parents listening could use this book with their kids in a discipleship format.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Sure. So one of the main themes in this first book of the series is prayer and hearing God speak. There are also themes of taking offense, forgiveness, and reconciliation as well. But the primary focus is prayer and hearing God speak.
“And with our two kid detectives, we wanted to show kind of diversity within the body of Christ. Luca is much more liturgical. Ember is a little more evangelical, and together they stretch each other when it comes to prayer and approaching God. And both have room to grow there, and we wanted to show that.
“And a big part of us choosing to set this book in a modern setting is—and I love Narnia and I love C. S. Lewis—but we wanted to show real faith in real time in real life. And I know parents are obviously concerned about a clean book with no surprises.
“And so often I think parents feel fearful that their kids will hit something in a book that’s negative and then try it. Our approach is to plant all kinds of positive things in the book that you do want your kid to try, like prayer.
“And it is our hope as authors that when kids finish a chapter, they spend some time talking with God.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, it’s been fun to see ways that we can weave that into the story because faith is an adventure, right? We’re getting to know our God, who’s beyond understanding and who invites us to go through life with him. And that’s the same for our kids. It’s not just, ‘Someday you’ll get to learn how to recognize God’s voice.’ It’s, ‘You can start recognizing his voice now.’
“And so incorporating the adventure of faith in the adventure of trying to hunt down these waterfalls was a really fun challenge. And I think it helps bring it alive to the reader, too, because it gives you competent kids. Luca and Ember know what they’re doing. They take it seriously, and they’re like, ‘We can solve this thing. Okay, we’re going to figure out how to talk to God in this way.’
“Ember is more comfortable about some of those aspects of conversational prayer, and so she gets to share some of her experiences with God with Luca. And Luca challenges her on some of the ways that she can be a little bit more casual in her relationship with God, where he can be stronger in reverence and respect. And so it shows our readers, our boy readers, ‘Hey, you can take your spiritual life seriously, too. What you do, how you live, matters. You also can be on this adventure with God.’”
Laurie: “And I love that you mentioned earlier—and I just want to highlight it again here—you talked about the Secret Clues page on your website, because it’s almost like a discipleship tool. It’s a companion devotional kind of thing where, as you’re going through the book, you know, if you’re reading it as a family read-aloud or even if your kids are reading it on their own, after each chapter you can go to the page on their website and go through and be like, ‘Hey, when they did this, how would you have handled that situation? And hey, let’s read some Bible verses that would help you to make a wise decision in that area. Or let’s read some Bible verses that apply to that specific thing.’
“So I love that you have pulled out all of those spiritual truths and just made it really easy for parents to use this book first as a fun book to read together, as a fun mystery novel, but then secondly as a really great discipleship tool.
“The question that I always ask is, how will this book challenge our boys to be strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God? And I think you’ve answered it a little bit already, but if you just want to add anything so we can specifically hone in on being strong, courageous warriors for God’s kingdom.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Yeah, I would echo Jen’s comment that life with God starts now, not when you’re older, not when you’re a teenager, not when you’re an adult—now. You can hear God now. When you pray, God will answer. And it’s a matter of practice, of learning what to watch and what to listen for. But God is ready to engage now.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah. When I think about the common struggles that we all can have, including my sons, when we’re talking about going through life and remembering to talk with God—even just remembering to talk with God—there can be these obstacles that stand in the way that are often discrediting themselves or misunderstandings of God.
“And so we even show a lot of those in the book. Luca is wrestling. He’s like, ‘Why would God even care about this? Doesn’t he have more important things to do?’
“Well, I can talk to God about anything. And how do I recognize if he’s answering me? So much of the courage that I want for my sons, that I want for the sons of the parents who are listening here, is to know that we can be courageous as we live in response to God, as we live with God, because he’s already moved toward us.
“And so God invites us. God’s the one who talks first. He will teach us how to know him and how to go through life with him. And so that is something we aim to show all throughout all of the books in the series, including this first one, The Mystery of the Missing Falls.
“And so that shares courage with us that our sons can be. They can be warriors, they can be courageous, they can follow God full of faith because God will empower them to do it. They’re not having to try and do it on their own.”
Laurie: “And I love that you demonstrate and model just how kids can have a relationship with God. It’s not just a checklist, it’s not just a routine, it’s not just something Mom and Dad told me to do. I have to read my Bible, check it off the list. God wants a relationship with us and with our boys, with our kids. And they can have that relationship when they are young. They don’t have to wait until they’re older to have a personal relationship with God. So I love that you emphasize that throughout the book as well.
“Jen, I had a specific question for you because I know that the series was kind of born out of some grief after losing your mom and some of the conversations with your sons, with your boys. So tell us a little bit about how some of those conversations inspired you to dive into the series.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, so my mom loves Jesus, so she’s in heaven. And my sons kind of accepted that as a foregone conclusion. It was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, Grandma’s in heaven. We get that.’ But at that time, my oldest was eight. He would then follow up with really practical questions about faith in real life. He’s like, ‘Okay, well, how did she recognize God’s voice when she got there? And was she ever alone before she got to heaven? Like, what? How did all of these things happen?’
“And there are some aspects of that that we know are clearly based in Scripture, that nothing can separate us from God’s love, not even death. And so God’s love was always with Grandma. And you get to know God’s voice while you’re here on earth. We follow him. He’s our good shepherd, and his sheep learn to know his voice. So Grandma just heard his voice differently when she got to heaven.
“So there were some of those things that we had based on what Scripture says, but there are a lot of the questions that he had that aren’t point-blank answered in the Bible. And so some of that was even broaching the conversation of faith as mystery and how we can trust God’s character with the things that we don’t have clear answers for or that we don’t understand because of who God is and what he’s like and who we are and how we get to live as his kids.
“And so I’m having these conversations. And as a reader, as an author, as a Bible teacher, I’m like, ‘Let me just get some books to help me out here.’ And so I jumped on Amazon thinking I was just going to fill my cart with a bunch of different picture books, chapter books, and stories that would help my sons walk through practical theology and walk through relationship with God in the ways that I was hoping to. And I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
“I couldn’t find, even when I was looking at mysteries—I grew up loving mysteries—I found cool mysteries that talked about Bible stories and morals and values and church history, but none that really focused specifically on modeling relational life with God. What does relationship with God actually look like in a fun story for kids?
“And so I went to Gayle, and at that point I was still really looking toward a specific topic for this, which we started with and then grew from there. But I was like, ‘Hey, would you want to write some kids’ books with me?’ And it was great because Gayle—you want to share this part of the story, how God led you?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Yeah, so Jen approached me about co-writing together, and as we began to pray, God led clearly to mystery. Well, I’d never written mystery before. Jen hadn’t either. And so it’s interesting that this first one is on prayer and hearing God speak, because so much prayer went into this.
“And we have so many God stories of how he came through and his direction and things he was putting in the story that we didn’t even catch until later as we were editing and revising. So prayer is a big part of this series.”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, and it’s been such a sweet gift to reflect on it now and to think about how much my mom would love this. I mean, God uses all things for the good of those who love him. And my mom was a teacher. She taught preschool before she was an assistant in classrooms and elementary schools for many, many years.
“And so the fact that I’m now co-authoring kids’ books with Gayle—I had never had that on my plans. I mean, I did as a child. I did not have it in my plans as an adult to write books for kids. But now that I get to create these books that my boys are already loving and are benefiting from and share them with other families, there is so much grace in that. There are so many fingerprints from the Lord that are all through it that I just get to marvel at.”
Laurie: “That’s amazing. I love just hearing how something really difficult in your life gave birth to something really beautiful. And I’m sure that your mom would be like, ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ Obviously, you want her here with you, but your mom is probably in heaven thinking, ‘Look at how many kids are going to hear the gospel. Look at how many kids are going to grow in their walk with the Lord because of these books.’ And it all started with the grief of losing your mom.
“So I love just seeing how God brought that blessing out of something that was really, really difficult. So thank you for sharing that. I appreciate that a lot.
“So I’m going to read the back of the book, a little blurb about the book. This might be a little more than just what’s exactly on the back, and then we will be wrapping up here in just a minute.
“Okay, so this is The Mystery of the Missing Falls:
“In this book, the thrilling first installment in the upcoming Kingswell Kid Detective series, authors Jen Weaver and Gayle Veitenheimer combine page-turning suspense, interactive storytelling, and rich biblical truth to create a middle-grade adventure kids genuinely won’t want to put down.
“More than simply a Christian mystery novel, this is an immersive reading experience that invites young readers to solve the case alongside the characters through hidden clues, detective files, coded messages, maps, and journal entries woven directly into the story.
“The story follows fifth-grade cousins Luca and Ember, two aspiring detectives determined to put their new detective agency on the map by solving Kingswell Falls’ oldest unsolved mystery: the disappearance of the town’s legendary waterfalls.
“When rival cousins Jake and Callie Kingswell bring them ancient journals, hidden maps, and clues tied to a generations-old family conflict, the young detectives are pulled into an unforgettable adventure involving Cherokee history, buried secrets, and questions much bigger than treasure.
“But beneath the high-energy mystery lies the heartbeat of the series: helping kids understand that God is actively involved in everyday life.
“So be sure to check out this series, the Kingswell Kids series. And there is a website for the series. It’s KingswellKids.com. And make sure to check out all of the resources there. There are lots of fun resources to go along with the book. There’s a Secret Clues page, and there’s a book club you can check out.
“So, Jen and Gayle, tell me real quickly: I mentioned the Kingswell Kids website, but then you also each have your own personal websites, your own personal author websites. So tell us where our listeners can find you and connect with you.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “You can find me at the Christian Grandparenting Podcast dot com or gailveitenheimer.com.”
Jen Weaver: “And I’m thejenweaver.com and thejenweaver on social media platforms. And I always say it’s not because I’m a big deal; I just have a real common name. So I’d love to connect.”
Laurie: “The one and only Jen Weaver.”
Jen Weaver: “Right?”
Laurie: “That’s fun. And what’s coming next in the series for you ladies? I know you have a four-book contract with Kregel, which is super exciting. So by the time this podcast airs, the first book, The Mystery of the Missing Falls, should be available for our listeners, and you can find it anywhere books are sold. But what’s next in the series?”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Book two is The Mystery of the Lone Wolf, and the spiritual content there focuses on identity and belonging. Jen, do you want to give a brief plot point on that one?”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, so Luca and Ember are wrapping up the school year and show up to school, and there is a huge wolf face painted across the windows with a warning: ‘Beware the lone wolf.’ And that is the first of many pranks that some crazy prankster is pulling at school.
“And so they have to figure out who the lone wolf is and who the prankster is and why they need to be on the lookout. And so they’re in the midst of solving this mystery while trying to graduate fifth grade, and part of that requires an academic decathlon that they have to do with some classmates. So there’s lots of fun ahead.”
Laurie: “Very fun. And does that take place in the same town, same area as well?”
Jen Weaver: “Yes. They’re in Kingswell Falls.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Yep.”
Laurie: “Okay. Very cool. And when do you anticipate that book releasing? Do you have a date yet for that, or an approximate date?”
Jen Weaver: “Yeah, it’ll come out in spring of 2027.”
Laurie: “Okay, very cool. Awesome. Well, Jen and Gayle, it was so much fun chatting with you and learning about your book, and I can’t wait to get a copy. I think it sounds like so much fun. So thank you so much for joining me on the Sword and Story Podcast.”
Gayle Veitenheimer: “Thank you, Laurie. Good to be here.”
Jen Weaver: “It’s been great.”
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