I am very excited to announce the sale of my 9th book ~ my 4th book with Holiday House Books for Children, my 1st illustrated book (and my 1st comedy)!

Here’s a little more about the story:

Eleven-year-old Nico Lombardi, an orphan unfairly indentured at a remote mountain inn, turns to purloining valuables from the guests to finance his escape. While he mourns the loss of his honesty, the inn fills with a group consisting of the three surviving members of a tontine and their assorted family members. The last of the three alive will win a fortune. During their stay, a number of small mysteries ensue. Is the painting over the mantelpiece a lost masterpiece or a forgery? Why are so many guests creeping around in the dead of night? Is somebody plotting dastardly acts to ensure which finalist wins the tontine? Are all the guests even who they claim to be? Might one, in fact, be an undercover detective investigating a series of thefts at the inn?

Much to his chagrin and regret, Nico knows exactly where the misplaced silver cigarette case is, but he has no idea what happened to the decanter of very bad sherry, the lawyer who never turned up, and the four missing eyebrows. Nico’s future seems more precarious than ever because even if he can elude the detective, survive atrocious banjo playing, and escape the grasp of the vile innkeeper, where will he go when he has no one left in the world who cares about him?

I am super stoked about this book being illustrated, and I can’t wait to see how Matt Schu (website here) brings Nico and the rest of the characters to life!