Master storyteller and twice Newbery award winner E.L. Konigsburg once again creates an extraordinary story of adventure, insight and mystery.More than anything in the world, eleven-year-old Amedeo Kaplan wants to discover something - a treasure that no one realizes is missing until he finds it. He also wants to discover a true friend he can share things with. When Amedeo and his mother move to Florida, Amedeo finds himself working on a house sale with another boy, William Wilcox, but the two don't get along. Mrs Zender's mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every item. The boys find themselves caught up in one particular story, dating back to Nazi Germany and Hitler's declaration that modern art was degenerate. Ultimately Amedeo does make a discovery - an original sketch by Modigliani. Why was it hidden, and why would Mrs Zender be willing to sell something worth millions for only $5,000? Does she have a connection to the Nazi past?

 

There are 256 pages in this book. This book was published 2008 by Walker Books Ltd .

E. L. Konigsburg made a remarkable debut in children's books by winning the prestigious Newbery Medal for her book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She is also the author of Silent to the Bone and The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. She lives in Florida, USA.