• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Josie is fascinated with the secrets of the prehistoric world. She and her grandfather, an amateur paleontologist, explore the beaches and cliffs near Stone Trees Cottage in Nova Scotia. Tiny bones have been discovered, but what are they from? As Josie searches for the answer, she is forced to cope with an accident and competition from an unpleasant neighbor. Time is of the essence, for she must find the answer before someone else does and before the tides and waves that exposed the secret wash it away forever.

Marilyn Helmer was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, moved to New Brunswick, then to Quebec, then to Ireland, then back to Canada, all before she was five years old. Perhaps that is why she loves to travel, both in North America and abroad. Marilyn's main passion though is writing for children. She discovered a knack for storytelling at a very young age when she made up wild and creative excuses for the occasional bout of mischief. In elementary school she became an avid Nancy Drew fan. With a couple of like-minded friends, she began writing and telling her own mystery stories. But it wasn't until many years later, when she started reading to her son and daughter, that Marilyn's dream of writing for children was born. Success did not happen overnight but it did happen. Marilyn's stories, poems and articles have appeared in children's magazines and anthologies in Canada and the United States. Her published books include picturebooks, chapter books, novels, riddle books and retold fairy tales.

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