Number Twenty

Nancy Springer

Apr 2012 · The Mystery World of Nancy Springer Book 1 · Untreed Reads

About this ebook

Little Veronica likes hanging out at Mrs. Life's porch. She can see the whole town from the steps, and Mrs. Life is fascinating in the way that she keeps track of all sorts of numbers and information in her little spiral-bound notebooks. So it's surprising to Veronica when the always-nice Mrs. Life has an argument with Mr. Quickel, the school health teacher and wrestling coach, about the cost of mowing her lawn. Soon, Mrs. Life has started to insinuate things about Mr. Quickel, his marriage and what he might or might not have done with a boy who ran off from the town to live life as an openly gay man. Soon, the entire town is turning on Mr. Quickel with rumors and threats and destroying his sanity. Before too long, Veronica starts to see what Mrs. Life's real motivation is, and what dark secrets she keeps in one of her spiral-bound notebooks. A short story.

About the author

Nancy Springer was born in Montclair, New Jersey on July 5, 1948. She received a degree in English literature from Gettysburg College in 1970. She has written about 40 books for children, young adults, and adults including the Sea King Trilogy, the Tales of Rowan Hood series, the Book of Isle Trilogy, and the Enola Holmes Mystery series. She has won numerous awards including the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, the Joan Fassler Memorial Book Award, and two Edgar Allen Poe Awards.