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

Frida and her brother, Zac, have lived in seven countries in ten years. In fact, they’ve been travelling for so long that Frida has never considered herself from anywhere — until they inherit their grandmother’s house in Victoria, British Columbia. Zac, always looking for money-making opportunities to fund their travels, is determined to sell everything in the house and expects Frida to help. Now they’re up to their ears in family heirlooms, paintings of dead relatives, vintage paperclips, and ceramic animals.

As Frida explores the neighbourhood, she meets a childhood friend of her grandmother’s, a relentlessly friendly kid named Hazeem who has a knack for finding treasures in the many book-exchange boxes nearby, and a nosy antique dealer who takes an interest in her grandmother’s stuff. A big, sneaking-around-trying-to-break-in-to-the-house kind of interest. Is this strange neighbour looking for something specific? And will Frida and Hazeem figure it out before it’s too late?

Michelle is the author of several books for children, and she enjoys telling the stories of kids who seize life's opportunities. When growing up in Port Moody, British Columbia, her favourite spot was the library. She loved cracking open the cover of a novel, taking a deep breath, and jumping into another life.

At university, Michelle studied literature, and between courses, she helped dig a water pipeline in the Dominican Republic and flipped burgers for a summer at a McDonald's in Germany. After graduating, she cycled 6000 kilometres across Canada, became a travel writer, taught creative writing in the Arctic, and worked as a simulated patient for medical students to practice on. She also married the pen pal that she'd been writing to since she was fourteen years old, and together they traveled around his home country of Argentina.

Michelle began writing for kids because she's always loved reading children's books. These days, when she's not writing or going on adventures, she enjoys reading, swimming, baking, hiking, and pedaling her bicycle around Victoria, British Columbia, where she lives with her husband and daughter. For more information about Michelle and her books, please visit her website at www.michellemulder.com.

Michelle Mulder's profile page

“This satisfying tale winds its way through art history and neighborhood intrigue with a reflective, relatable protagonist at its core …. A subtle page-turner that captures the youthful search for a tangible concept of home.”

Kirkus Reviews