Set in the 1950s, Cora Dubois, Jimmie Mosher and their friends, Laszlo, George, and Ruby, discover they have a talent for getting to the bottom of local mysteries. Each book includes a "forgotten" craft or skill, and may address social/moral issues of the mid-twentieth century. In The Hitchhiker (Dubois Files book #2), Cora's family gives a hitchhiker a ride. He didn't seem to speak English, and Cora's mother thought he was ill. Then Jimmie went exploring and found more than he expected. The hitchhiker was not only sick, but he wanted the children to help him. If only they could have understood what he was saying! It took four of them to solve his problem.

Joan Young has enjoyed the out-of-doors her entire life. Highlights of her outdoor adventures include Girl Scouting, which provided yearly training in camp skills, the opportunity to engage in a 10-day canoe trip, and numerous short backpacking excursions. She was selected to attend the 1965 Senior Scout Roundup in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, an international event to which 10,000 girls were invited. She has ridden a bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean in 1986, and on August 3, 2010 became the first woman to complete the North Country National Scenic Trail on foot. Her mileage totaled 4395 miles.

She has recently begun writing more fiction, including short stories and cozy mysteries.