28 ratings | 27 reviews | avg rating:4.64

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Kathleen’s Bookshelves

to-read (18)
currently-reading (0)
read (28)
contemporary-fiction (2)
for-young-readers (4)
historical-fiction (11)
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mystery (13)
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Kathleen’s Friends (137)

Marisa

21,509 books | 442 friends

Kelley

3,511 books | 151 friends

Mickey

27,910 books | 74 friends

Shannon

26,954 books | 932 friends

Tricia

1,857 books | 17 friends

Chelsie

16,858 books | 673 friends

Sue

3,916 books | 115 friends

Emilie

6,220 books | 53 friends

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Kathleen Ernst

Goodreads Author

Born

Scranton, PA, The United States

Website

http://www.kathleenernst.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, History

Member Since

July 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kathleen_ernst

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I grew up in Maryland, in a house full of books! Both of my parents were avid readers, thank goodness. Before we traveled to a new area, my librarian-mom used to bring home historical novels set in that place. It was a great way to get excited about history.

I began writing stories when I was maybe 10 or 11. At 15 I wrote my first novel; I sold my first novel to a publisher 20 years later! Writing was my hobby, so during those two decades I just kept practicing, reading, writing some more. What a thrill to finally hold my first book in my hand! Still, I write because I enjoy the process (at least most of the time).

For years I wrote while working at other day jobs. I spent 12 years working at a huge historic site, which was a perfect spot for ...more

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Kathleen Ernst’s books

Average rating: 4.01 · 21,425 ratings · 2,411 reviews · 57 distinct works • Similar authors

	Meet Caroline (American Girls: Caroline, #1) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.14 avg rating — 2,173 ratings — published 2012 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Old World Murder (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #1) 3.60 avg rating — 2,032 ratings — published 2010 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Danger at the Zoo: A Kit Mystery by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator) 4.06 avg rating — 1,216 ratings — published 2005 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline's Secret Message (American Girls: Caroline, #2) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.15 avg rating — 1,136 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline's Battle (American Girls: Caroline, #5) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.20 avg rating — 994 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Surprise for Caroline (American Girls: Caroline, #3) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.98 avg rating — 970 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Heirloom Murders (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #2) 3.85 avg rating — 994 ratings — published 2011 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Light Keeper's Legacy (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #3) 3.83 avg rating — 984 ratings — published 2012 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline Takes a Chance (American Girls: Caroline, #4) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.11 avg rating — 905 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator) 4.01 avg rating — 740 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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462 posts
Kathleen Ernst's Blog

Writing My Way Home

Do you have a homeplace? A place that somehow resonates deep in your bones? A place you long to return to when you’ve been away too long? My homeplace is Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. I began visiting as a child with my parents, and never stopped. (I’ve written about this special […]

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Published on August 10, 2025 10:46

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Series by Kathleen Ernst

American Girl: Caroline (6 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Robert Papp (Illustrator),

Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

4.09 avg rating — 8,253 ratings

Chloe Ellefson Mystery (11 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author)

3.92 avg rating — 7,652 ratings

American Girl Kit Mysteries (7 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

4.02 avg rating — 3,626 ratings

American Girl Kirsten Mysteries (1 book)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

3.95 avg rating — 572 ratings

Hanneke Bauer Mystery (3 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author)

4.33 avg rating — 450 ratings

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Kathleen’s Recent Updates

Kathleen Ernst wrote a new blog post Writing My Way Home Do you have a homeplace? A place that somehow resonates deep in your bones? A place you long to return to when you’ve been away too long? My homeplace Read more of this blog post »
Aug 11, 2025 12:22AM · 1 like · like

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Quotes by Kathleen Ernst (?)

“Skidmore,”
― Kathleen Ernst, Midnight in Lonesome Hollow

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“Lydia Livingston was Caroline’s cousin—and one of her best friends,”
― Kathleen Ernst, The Smuggler's Secrets: A Caroline Mystery

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“Finally Señor Zamora worked his way around the box. He nodded at Miguel, and the two men lifted away the wooden lid. Teresita and Josefina stepped closer, peering to see. The treasure was wrapped in heavy canvas. Señor Zamora wiped his hands on his trousers—which were no cleaner than he was—before grasping the top edge of the old canvas and pulling it aside. Josefina saw a glint of gold just as she heard Señor Zamora’s shocked exclamation. For a long moment, no one seemed able to find words.”
― Kathleen Ernst, Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Read the Season - Summer	44	144	Sep 27, 2011 07:51PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2637	935	Aug 31, 2012 09:02PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2012-2013: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2485	866	Feb 28, 2013 09:01PM
Cozy Mysteries : What Cozy Did You Just Finish Reading??? (Archive)	6235	2613	Jun 25, 2013 01:29PM
Crazy Challenge C...: Fall 2012 S-p-e-l-l Challenge	202	130	Jul 09, 2013 04:15PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2013: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	2503	772	Aug 31, 2013 09:04PM

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Kathleen’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Sue

Aug 23, 2010 07:27PM

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child, too! A friend mentioned them today and I decided they would definitely be worth a re-read after all these years.

reply | flag

message 1: by Sue

Aug 09, 2010 03:45PM

Nice to connect with you, too. I'm looking forward to reading your work.

reply | flag

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