The Judy Bolton books, written by Margaret Sutton (1903-2001), were a popular girls mystery series. The first 4 volumes were published in 1932 by Grosset and Dunlap. The series continued until 1967 and consisted of 38 volumes. Each book was "based on something that actually happened" and many were also based on real life sites. More than 4 million copies were sold, and the books are still popular among collectors such as the Phantom Friends. Fortunately, the entire Judy Bolton mystery series has been republished by Applewood Books. The 39th book in the series, "The Strange Likeness," which Margaret Sutton started but never finished, was written by Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield and published in 2012. It brings the series to a happy ending. In 2018 a wonderful new Judy Bolton set mid-series, The Mystery on Judy Lane written by Beverly Hatfield was published with the permission of Margaret Sutton's family!

NEWS

Margaret Sutton Writing Contest 2026

The contest is held each year during the annual Judy Bolton Weekend to honor the memory of author Margaret Sutton and to encourage young creative writers from Potter County. Download the Contest Rules (PDF)

Judy Bolton Weekend September 24-27, 2026

Please register in advance by filling out the REGISTRATION FORM by September 17, 2026.

Please make your reservations for lodging in advance and tell them you are with the Judy Bolton fans.
Mill Street Mansion: www.millstmansion.com ( 814) 558-9262
The Westgate Inn: www.westgateinn.co| (814) 274-0400

Thursday, September 24

6:00 PM — Dinner and conversation with Judy Bolton fans and friends, A&W West End Grill, 431 US Route 6, Coudersport, PA.

Friday, September 25

9:00 AM — Breakfast at your hotel or potluck breakfast for those staying in the Mill Street Mansion. Explore Potter County on your own.

12:00 PM — Lunch with fans and friends at Cream ‘n Sugar, 111 N. Main Street, Coudersport.

1:00–3:00 PM — Potter County Historical Society, 308 N. Main Street, Coudersport. Enjoy a display of items related to Judy Bolton author Margaret Sutton and her family. There’s lots to see in this interesting museum!

3:30–5:30 PM — Judy Bolton Days Welcome Reception and Book Signing, Eliot Ness Museum, 201 N. Main St., Coudersport. Museum admission: $15. The Judy Bolton exhibit at the museum contains many special items donated by Margaret Sutton and Judy Bolton fans. A newly published children's book by Margaret Sutton, The Little Girl Who Bounced on her Bed, will be available for sale, autographed by the little girl who inspired it more than 75 years ago! Lindsay Stroh, Margaret Sutton's youngest daughter, will also autograph her two new children's books, BORING! Everyone the Same, and The Tiny Door. Copies of Letters to Live By, written by Margaret Sutton and her daughters Lindsay Stroh and Marjorie Eckstein, will also be available. You can reserve copies of the books on the registration form. The public is invited.

6:00 PM — Farmer's Delight Dinner at THE KLEIN CENTURY FARM, 18 McLatchie Hollow Lane, Mina, PA, just off Route 6. Enjoy a fabulous dinner prepared by Ilene Altenheim in a historic home built by Margaret Sutton's grandfather and father. RSVP by September 17 on the registration form and pay $15 at the door.

Saturday, September 26

7:30–9:00 AM — Breakfast at your hotel or potluck breakfast at the Mill Street Mansion.

9:30 AM — Tour of Mill Street Mansion, 202 Mill Street, Coudersport. Enjoy a presentation by Judge Lewis's granddaughter about the history of the mansion, which inspired the Farringdon-Pett Mansion in the Judy Bolton Mysteries. Take a look at the beautifully furnished rooms! We will then carpool to different locations that inspired settings in the series.

10:15 AM — Leave for Dry Brook Hollow, Margaret Sutton's birthplace in Odin. Park on the road and carpool in a few cars to the bottom of the driveway, since parking is limited.

11:15 AM — Austin Dam Memorial Park. The Austin Dam disaster of 1911 inspired the first Judy Bolton mystery, The Vanishing Shadow. You can drive down the steep road to the base of the dam.

12:00 PM — Lunch in Austin at Big Mike's Dairy & Dine, 8 Main Street, Austin. Order from the menu.

1:00 PM — Tour the E.O. Austin Museum, One Town Square, Austin. This charming museum has many items donated by Margaret Sutton's family, including the author's childhood drawings.

2:30 PM — Carpool to the Parker Tomb in Gardeau, Pennsylvania, and hear its fascinating history. Bring your camera!!

5:00 PM — Judy Bolton Weekend Dinner 2026, Kaytee's Family Restaurant, 251 U.S. Route 6, Coudersport. RSVP on the registration form with your choice of entrée. Writing contest winners and their families will join us.

6:00 PM — Margaret Sutton Creative Writing Contest Awards. Kaytee's Family Restaurant. Potter County students in grades 7–9 have been invited to submit a short story. Join our panel of judges as this year's finalists read their stories and receive their awards. If you cannot attend in person, you can participate by Zoom from the USA, Canada, and the U.K. using the link below.

Zoom Link

7:00 PM — Social time and series book sales at the Mill Street Mansion.

7:30 PM — The Judy Bolton Trivia Contest at the Mill Street Mansion. This year's book is The Trail of the Green Doll. Prizes will be awarded! You can participate by Zoom from the USA, Canada, and the U.K. Please join before 7:30 PM EST using the link below.

Zoom Link

Sunday, September 27

Morning — Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and a last chance to visit with Judy Bolton fans.

The Little Girl who Bounced on her Bed Now Available

In this delightful story, a little girl bounces into the sky. The sun, moon and stars are surprised to see a flying child! Children's author Margaret Sutton, best known for her Judy Bolton Mysteries, brings this adventure to a happy ending. Written all in rhyme, this is an amusing bedtime story.

The Little Girl who Bounced on her Bed is available at Amazon

Letters To Live By Now Available

LETTERS TO LIVE BY, a children's book by Margaret Sutton and her daughters Marjorie Eckstein and Lindsay Stroh, has just been published! Visit www.MargaretSuttonBooks.com for information on how to order this delightful book. A link to a free Discussion and Activity Guide is included.

The Talking Snowman, Second Edition Available Now

Cover of the Strange Likeness Prolific author Linda Joy Singleton is the author of over 50 middle-grade, YA and picture books! A lifelong lover of children's series books, a fan letter she wrote at age 14 led to a life-long friendship with author, Margaret Sutton. This friendship eventually resulted in The Talking Snowman which was co-written by Margaret Sutton and Linda Joy Singleton. The book fits between books #3 and #4 in the Judy Bolton series and is numbered #3 1/2. The first print run sold out and had a solid blue cover with outline of a snowman. This second edition has cover art by Judy Bolton fan Lisa Kucharski. It’s a paperback and includes a map drawn by Margaret Sutton, a foreword by Linda Joy Singleton, and a bonus short story.

To order The Talking Snowman, send a check or US cash for $15 (includes US postage only) to:
Linda Singleton
P.O. Box 155
Burson, CA 95225

If you want it autographed by LJS include a note with details.

If you have any questions email: ljscheer@yahoo.com. You can read more about Linda Joy Singleton on her website.

ONE LAST STEP (A Tara Mills Mystery—Book One) is the debut novel in a new FBI mystery series by debut author Sarah Sutton the great-granddaughter of Margaret Sutton

Debut author Sarah Sutton is the great granddaughter of Margaret Sutton and has followed in that tradition with her release of the TARA MILLS mystery series, which includes ONE LAST STEP (Book #1) and ONE LAST BREATH (Book #2). Sarah has always been fascinated by the mystery genre and loves to write suspenseful books with complex characters.

The book is available on all major outlets including Amazon

For more information on the series, go to the author's website at www.sarahsutton.com

Literary Legends of the PA Wilds: Margaret Sutton and Judy Bolton

A great article on Potter County author Margaret Sutton was published January 28, 2019 on the Pennsylvania Wilds website!

The Mystery on Judy Lane by Beverly Hatfield — available this fall on Amazon.

UPDATED: Now Available on Amazon

Judy Bolton loves solving mysteries, and this Christmas brings her a new puzzle to solve. She is newly engaged to lawyer Peter Dobbs and wants the perfect present for him. But a mysterious eavesdropper, threatening phone calls and broken windows on Judy Lane convince Judy, Peter, and their families that the danger is real. Judy will need bravery and ingenuity to solve the mystery in time for everyone to have a Merry Christmas. Margaret Sutton was the creator and author of The Judy Bolton Mystery series from 1932 to 1967. With the permission of Margaret Sutton's family, Beverly Hatfield brings us this new Christmas story. Foreword by Margaret Sutton’s daughter, Lindsay Sutton Stroh.

Author Bio Beverly Hatfield is the co-author of the 2012 Judy Bolton Mystery, The Strange Likeness. As a child, she devoured Judy Bolton mysteries and wished Margaret Sutton had written more books set during the time period when Judy was engaged. Ms. Hatfield decided to fill that gap by setting this book between Margaret Sutton's The Name on the Bracelet and The Clue in the Patchwork Quilt. As an adult, Ms. Hatfield visited the towns and homes in Potter County, Pennsylvania where Margaret Sutton lived and used as her inspiration. Ms. Hatfield enjoys the friendship she has with other Judy Bolton fans and is grateful to share Judy’s newest adventure with them. Meet Beverly and get her autograph at Judy Bolton Days 2018 in Pennsylvania!

New: 3 Watercolor Illustrated Cards
By Margaret Sutton
5 X 7 each, suitable for framing

These three color illustrations (1930-31) were done to illustrate the proposed Melissa series, which eventually became the Judy Bolton Mysteries. Rachel Beebe Sutton, the author, who was raised in Potter County, Pennsylvania, was given a pen name, Margaret Sutton, by the publishers. The author also changed blonde Melissa into auburn-haired Judy Bolton, and the rest is history!

$3 per set of 3 (5 X 7) cards. Available at Judy Bolton weekend events or contact Lindsay at strohlin19@gmail.com to order by mail.

Please note that the picture of Peter with the trunk is brighter than shown.

THE STRANGE LIKENESS, #39 in the Judy Bolton series is available!

Cover of the Strange Likeness The title and some of the plot elements were created by Margaret Sutton before the series was canceled. Based on conversations with Margaret Sutton and her family plus extensive research, coauthors Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield were able to create a new mystery for Judy to solve as she pursues a criminal who resembles her husband.

The book is illustrated by Margaret Sutton's daughter, Marjorie Sutton Eckstein, and edited by another daughter, Lindsay Sutton Stroh. The release of the book was celebrated in Margaret Sutton’s hometown, Coudersport, Pennsylvania, during the annual Judy Bolton Days, October 5-6, 2012.

The book has been published in paperback ($14.95) by Applewood Books. A limited number of hardbacks (250 copies) were also available ($24.95). To order your copies, call Applewood Books at 1-800-277-5312 or visit www.applewoodbooks.com.

All 38 Judy Bolton Titles Available from Applewood books!

All 38 of the Judy Bolton Mysteries by Margaret Sutton are now available in paperback from Applewood books. They were laser copied from the first editions of each book, courtesy of the author's family.

Look for them at your favorite bookstore! You can also purchase them on Amazon.com.