"4 Stars!...This delightful narrative character has wit and courage and determination. Alison and her friend and their adventures, along with the varied cast of characters in the story are sure to please many younger readers."—Judy Gill, Scribes World

...We spotted the trunk right off. Inside, just like Mrs. Smith had said, were dresser things, including the silver brush and mirror with initials. The ones Mrs. Smith had used that scared her father to death. Little decorated combs, hairpins, a long pin with a pretty knob on the end, perfume bottles of crystal, little containers of stuff we didn't know what they were for. Desk stuff—a book, pens, ink bottle, writing paper and envelopes with a crest on them. And a shawl, or what was left of it. Everything was really old. Like looking at things in the museum.

I picked up the book. Its title was Daily Meditations. I opened it. On the first page was written: Maeve Rothschild.

The letters of the handwriting were all formed perfectly.

"She must have had it before she was married," Mitty said.

As I turned the book over, a folded sheet of paper slipped out and made a clunking sound on the floorboards. The handwriting was the same as the writing of her name. I set the book down and unfolded the letter. It had the same crest at the top as the other writing paper in the trunk. The writing was on both sides, close together and small.