Booktalk #1

April has been in and out of foster homes for years—ever since her mother left her at a fire station with nothing but a key and a note saying she would return. When April stumbles upon a museum exhibit from the Winterborne estate and sees a box with the same crest that is on her key, she goes back at night, only to get caught in a fire and rescued by a shadowy figure, who might be the Sentinel, a legendary vigilante.

The story of young Gabriel Winterborne is also the stuff of legends. The only survivor of a tragic accident that took the lives of his parents and siblings. Heir to a massive fortune. Gone missing for ten years.

After the fire, April is taken to live in the Winterborne family house perched on the rocky edge of the sea, with four other orphans. But the rambling house hides secrets and there are more questions than answers: Is the Sentinel real? How are the children of Winterborne house connected? Is Uncle Evert good or bad? What does April’s key unlock? And where, oh where, is Gabriel Winterborne?

This mystery (the first in a series) is filled with stormy nights, swashbuckling sword fights, and secret passageways—all guaranteed to keep you turning the pages! (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Book Award nominee, 2022)

Booktalk #2

In the premier title of the Winterborne Home series, brave 11-year-old orphan April is almost consumed by a fire she ignites in a majestic museum. This suspenseful mystery of the inhabitants of Winterborne Home moves along at breakneck speed. Although the employees who take her in after the fire appear kind and generous, streetwise April senses that there are a lot of secrets to uncover in the luxurious Winterborne Home. They might even lead her to the mysterious key she wears around her neck (the one gift her mother left her, before placing her baby daughter on a doorstep, with a note promising to pick her up soon). This adventure, with many twists and turns coupled with death-defying, swashbuckling feats performed by April and the other orphans who live together in the legendary Winterborne Home, is perfect for readers craving exciting fantastical mysteries.  (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2021-2022)