But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.
In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.
Margi Preus’s books for young readers have been honored with numerous awards, including a Newbery Honor and the Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature. They have been ALA/ALSC Notables, featured on NPR, and translated into several languages. Margi often writes on the screen porch of her cabin overlooking a northern Minnesota lake not unlike Enchantment, and she spent many hours this past summer drifting in her kayak, pretending to look for a silver box on the lake bottom. When not lollygagging, she enjoys traveling, speaking, and visiting schools all over the world.