Embark on an unforgettable mystery-adventure starring a girl determined to save her friends and find a home, written by the best-selling author of the Serafina and Willa of the Wood series!
Robert Beatty, a master at telling atmospheric tales of mystery and suspense set in the natural world, has crafted another ingenious, unputdownable story.
Thirteen-year-old Sylvia Doe has lived at the Highground Home for Children nearly all her life. Whenever the administrators try to place her with a foster family, she runs away--back to Mason, Highground's caretaker and her best friend. The only place she feels like she belongs is with him and the horses he has taught her to love.
When a powerful storm causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don't belong--everything's out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water.
As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from. And why does she feel such a strong connection to this mysterious boy?
A Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2024
"Magical realism at its best." —Kwame Alexander, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Door of No Return Trilogy
*"Adventurous and suspenseful, this story pairs environmental science content with a genre-blurring mystery. . . . A page-turner that creatively explores resonant themes." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*"Sensorial descriptions focusing on Sylvia’s love for her surroundings and passion for observing the environment mix with pulse-pounding action to craft a quietly magical adventure about finding where one belongs." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The quick-paced story combines adventure, mystery, history, sci-fi, and earth advocacy to give a variety of readers a memorable ride. . . . [Sylvia is] a headstrong and heart-driven heroine with broad appeal." —Booklist
Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina series and the Willa series. His books are taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide and have been translated into over 22 languages. Robert draws inspiration from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, who created the interior drawings for this book. His adventure tales grew out of a desire to write stories about unusual and heroic young girls for his three daughters. He is a full-time author now, but in his past lives he was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the cofounder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative magazine. Visit him online at www.robertbeattybooks.com.
Embark on an unforgettable mystery-adventure starring a girl determined to save her friends and find a home, written by the best-selling author of the Serafina and Willa of the Wood series!
Robert Beatty, a master at telling atmospheric tales of mystery and suspense set in the natural world, has crafted another ingenious, unputdownable story.
Thirteen-year-old Sylvia Doe has lived at the Highground Home for Children nearly all her life. Whenever the administrators try to place her with a foster family, she runs away--back to Mason, Highground's caretaker and her best friend. The only place she feels like she belongs is with him and the horses he has taught her to love.
When a powerful storm causes the remote mountain valley where she lives to flood, Sylvia begins to encounter strange and wondrous things floating down the river. Glittering gemstones and wild animals that don't belong--everything's out of place. Then she spots an unconscious boy floating in the water.
As she drags him onto the shore and their adventure together begins, Sylvia wonders who he is and where he came from. And why does she feel such a strong connection to this mysterious boy?
Praise
A Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2024
"Magical realism at its best." —Kwame Alexander, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Door of No Return Trilogy
*"Adventurous and suspenseful, this story pairs environmental science content with a genre-blurring mystery. . . . A page-turner that creatively explores resonant themes." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*"Sensorial descriptions focusing on Sylvia’s love for her surroundings and passion for observing the environment mix with pulse-pounding action to craft a quietly magical adventure about finding where one belongs." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The quick-paced story combines adventure, mystery, history, sci-fi, and earth advocacy to give a variety of readers a memorable ride. . . . [Sylvia is] a headstrong and heart-driven heroine with broad appeal." —Booklist
Author
Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina series and the Willa series. His books are taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide and have been translated into over 22 languages. Robert draws inspiration from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, who created the interior drawings for this book. His adventure tales grew out of a desire to write stories about unusual and heroic young girls for his three daughters. He is a full-time author now, but in his past lives he was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the cofounder of Beatty Robotics, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative magazine. Visit him online at www.robertbeattybooks.com.
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