Did you read Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys series as a kid?
I was obsessed with them!
So, I am beyond excited to be on the blog tour for The Silver Box by Margi Preus. Francie is like a modern day Nancy Drew, who although she only played a detective on TV, may have a bit of a knack for not only finding trouble, but also solving murders!
This fun series might be a middle-grade/YA-ish mystery series, but as you know, I definitely am not part of that age group (lol) and still enjoyed every minute reading The Enchantment Lake Mystery series!
“A modern Nancy Drew replacement grounded in current technology but largely reliant on brain power and courage.”
—Kirkus Reviews
The Silver Box follows Francie and her friends as she tries to find clues to the silver box she recently acquired… a box that has been haunting her dreams since she was very little. Will the box give her clues as to if her mother is alive?
Her investigation has lead her from NYC, to sunny Arizona, to the snowy shores of Minnesota’s Enchantment Lake, and the rare box she possesses just might finally shed some truth as to who she really is. I loved this fast-paced story not only for its mystery and fun, but also the beautifully interwoven themes of nature.
“I think mystery lovers will definitely enjoy the pacing of this book as well as its unforgettable characters and charming Northwoods setting. It’s an excellent series to get lost in if you’re looking for an engrossing story or something to distract from reality.”
—The Story Sanctuary
In the first two books, we learn a lot of Francie and her background – including her acting “career” as a detective, her moves from NYC to Walpurgis, and her struggles with her mothers disappearance and her fathers death – both when she was very young.
We also follow her as she navigates school, fun friendships, and a strained relationship with her brother – not to mention a strict grandfather and two crazy, quirky aunts.
In The Silver Box, we find Francie wading through the foggy memories and dreams she has of her childhood and finally getting some answers about her mother. It’s fun to watch her and her friends and family solve puzzles, stumble upon clues, and it’s non-stop action that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The whole series is filled with courage and heart and you root for Francie every step of the way.
The Silver Box is absolutely enjoyable as a standalone – but the series is so fantastic from start to finish – I highly recommend reading all three!
Thank you to Women on Writing, Margi Preus, and University of Minnesota Press for the gifted books!
The Silver Box is available to purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Thrift Books. You can also add this to your reading list on GoodReads.com.
- Grade level : 5 – 9
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Hardcover : 200 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1517909680
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.1 x 8 inches
- Publisher : Univ Of Minnesota Press (October 6, 2020)
About the book:
In the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter.When she wakes in her aunts’ cold cabin on the shore of Enchantment Lake, Francie remembers: everything about her life has changed. Or is about to. Or just might. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is.Francie, it turns out, has a lot to learn, and this time the lessons could be deadly. Her search for answers takes her and her best friends Raven and Jay as far afield as an abandoned ranch in Arizona and as close to home as a sketchy plant collector’s conservatory and a musty old museum where shadows lurk around every display case. At the heart of it all is a crime that touches her own adopted North Woods: thieves dig up fragile lady’s slippers, peel bark from birches, strip moss off trees, cut down entire forests of saplings to sell for home décor. But Francie is up against no ordinary plant theft. One ominous clue after another reveal that she possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When Francie’s investigation leads her into the treacherously cold and snowy North Woods, she finds out that she too is being pursued.
About the Author
Margi Preus is the author of the Newbery Honor book Heart of a Samurai and other books for young readers, including the Minnesota Book Award winning West of the Moon, and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award book The Clue in the Trees. Her books have won multiple awards, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, selected as an NPR Backseat Book Club pick, chosen for community reads, and translated into several languages. New titles in 2020 include Village of Scoundrels, The Littlest Voyageur, and The Silver Box, part of the Enchantment Lake mystery series.
Back when such things were done, Margi enjoyed traveling, speaking, and visiting schools all over the world. Now mostly at home in Duluth, she likes to ski, hike, canoe, or sit quietly with a book in her lap.
You can follow her online at:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube
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