Do you know what an indie bookstore is? It means the store is independently owned and not part of a large chain store.

I tell you this because April 28 is National Indie Bookstore Day. I hope you will celebrate this day by visiting your nearest store, such as Liberty Bay Books or Eagle Harbor Books, and purchasing something.

Now, many teenagers are voracious readers and what could be a better read than a mystery story? Lilith A. Bennett has written “Zoey,” which is not only a mystery but includes lots of action up to the very end.

This young adult book is about a 17-year-old girl who moves to a small town with her family. She has made two good friends, but begins to question the friendship when she discovers “there is a dark secret between the two.” Since this story is set in a small town, lots of people know about the happenings and the killings (I don’t want to give away too much of the plot), and they think they know who is responsible. But do they?

Lilith also recently wrote a book called “Ashen Plains.” It is a young-adult novel about Wendy, a 16-year-old girl who has lived at Red Oak, an orphanage, for many years.

This book is written in a first-person voice so you know everything Wendy knows, sees and experiences. Wendy also has a roommate, Melissa, who wants to move to another room to be with her best friend. This is okay with Wendy because she would like to be able to converse with her spirit friend Sybil more often, where others won’t hear or interfere.

Red Oak is having financial problems, and the director of this orphanage has not only that issue consuming him, but some of his staff are not nurturers that would be expected in an institution like this.

Following a series of strange incidents at the orphanage, Wendy goes in search of answers. And to find them, she needs to navigate the dark edges of the afterlife. I would recommend reading this in a well-lit area, like in the sun or a room full of windows, since it can sometimes be a little scary.

You can get these books from your local bookstore.

Carol Caldwell is another author worth introduction. She also is an accomplished, wonderful artist who illustrates her own books.

Caldwell started writing books for each of her six grandchildren, starting with her initial effort “Princess to the Rescue,” a book for early readers. She wrote and illustrated this delightful story about a boy from the village who needs the King’s help. He goes to the castle and meets the Princess, who decides to help him.

More stories by Caldwell are in the works for her other grandkids.

Also, the author was part of an anthology called “Christmas of Hope: An Anthology” that includes seven authors and seven inspirational stories.

Quote for today:

Fact 1: Reading can make you a better conversationalist.

Fact 2: Neighbors will never complain if you are reading too loud.

Fact 3: Knowledge by osmosis has not yet been perfected, so you’d better read.

Fact 4: Books have stopped bullets. Reading could save your life.

Fact 5: Dinosaurs did not read. Look what happened to them.

— Donna Lee Anderson can be contacted at welltold tales@aol.com.