{"product_id":"the-curious-vanishing-of-beatrice-willoughby-isbn-9780823450732","title":"The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe Amadeuses were always considered somewhat strange. Even before the incident.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen six-year-old Beatrice Willoughby vanished at the Amadeuses’ annual All Hallows Eve party, people in the tiny mountain town of Nevermore were quick to whisper: \u003ci\u003eThey were always odd. Their house is full of dark magic.\u003c\/i\u003e And when Mort Amadeus was pegged for the crime, the Amadeuses, once the center of society, retreated. They closed their doors, disappeared from life. People almost forgot. Until thirteen years later, when six envelopes land at the doorstep of six households in town: \u003ci\u003eWe cordially invite you to a celebration on the 31st of October this Saturday evening at the Amadeus household.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo begins the mystery of who was really responsible for the missing girl thirteen years ago. Was it Duchess von Pelt, whose face no one has ever seen? Mrs. Raven, the keeper of the local inn? Wormwood, the Amadeuses’ mysterious caretaker? Dr. Foozle, the town pharmacist? Count Baines, who seems to know when unlucky things are about to happen? Judge Ophelius, who presided over Beatrice’s case originally? Mr. and Mrs. H, a couple who no one can ever quite remember? Or somehow, might precocious, eleven-year-old Dewey and his storytelling dad, Chaucer, be somehow mixed up in all this?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe guests must work together to identify the guilty party among them over the course of the evening—but beware the ticking clock, because at midnight, everything is going to change! Told from different perspectives, this is a sly, darkly funny mystery. Filled with strange characters and set in a mansion deep, deep in the woods. G. Z. Schmidt has crafted an unforgettable puzzle, perfect for reading on a dark autumn night.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNominated for the Louisiana Reader's Choice Award\u003c\/b\u003e★ \"A fiendishly clever mystery whose atmosphere is thick with fevered accusations and Halloween fun.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ★ \"This atmospheric, magic-infused mystery with an unsettling ending is a party readers won’t want to miss. . . . Devilishly clever.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \"G.Z. Schmidt's whimsical mystery tale reads like a mashup of Clue and the Brothers Grimm, with plenty of creepy-fun thrills and clever twists along the way. An autumn-tinted, cozy mystery treat for young readers!\"—\u003cb\u003eBen Guterson, Edgar Award nominated author of The Winterhouse Trilogy \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A fun, spooky, puzzling tale that's perfect for reading under the covers. It's \u003ci\u003eThe Westing Game\u003c\/i\u003e meets The Addams Family, with a cast of suitably quirky characters you'd expect—along with a few you didn’t!\" —\u003cb\u003eMichael Beil, Edgar Award nominated author of The Swallowtail Legacy Series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A murder mystery! Phantom creatures! Creepy puppets! Scary woods! A magic mansion! What more could you ask for!\"\u003cb\u003e —Steven Banks, author of the Middle School Bites series\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eG. Z. Schmidt\u003c\/b\u003e was born in China and immigrated to the United States when she was six. She grew up in the Midwest and the South where she chased fireflies, listened for tornado warnings, and pursued a love of reading. In the third grade, she began writing stories in a spiral-bound notebook, and never looked back. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eNo Ordinary Thing\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Dreamweavers\u003c\/i\u003e, which was named a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and a CCBC Choice book. She currently lives in California with her husband and their tuxedo cat.","brand":"Holiday House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305274396901,"sku":"NP9780823450732","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780823450732.jpg?v=1767738897","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-curious-vanishing-of-beatrice-willoughby-isbn-9780823450732","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}