Synopses & Reviews
On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train north, she meets Jimson Quiggley, a young librarian who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is soon boarded by a handsome young marshal, Thomas Saltre, who learns who Lenas father is and convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, called Zephyr House. Eventually, though, Lena must venture into the wilds of Scree and confront her deepest fears.
About the Author
Maureen Doyle McQuerry is an award-winning poet, author, and teacher. She was the 2000 McAuliffe Fellow for Washington State and has published two nonfiction books and numerous poems. She is the author of the Time Out of Time duet. She lives in Richland, Washington. Visit her online at maureenmcquerry.com.