The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane
CBC Books | | Posted: May 28, 2020 4:12 PM | Last Updated: June 15, 2020
Julia Nobel
With a dad who disappeared years ago and a mother who's a bit too busy to parent, Emmy is shipped off to Wellsworth, a prestigious boarding school in England, where she's sure she won't fit in.
But then she finds a box of mysterious medallions in the attic of her home—medallions that belonged to her father. Her father who may have gone to Wellsworth.
When she arrives at school, she finds the strange symbols from the medallions etched into walls and books, which leads Emmy and her new friends, Jack and Lola, to Wellsworth's secret society: The Order of Black Hollow Lane. Emmy can't help but think that the society had something to do with her dad's disappearance, and that there may be more than just dark secrets in the halls of Wellsworth… (From Sourcebooks)
From the book
There were certain things Emmy's mother didn't really need to know. Trivial things like whether Emmy had clipped her toenails or that she'd stepped in something sticky at the park. But the letter in Emmy's nightstand was not a trivial thing, and if her mom had found out about it, she would have pitched a fit. That's why Emmy was glad to be in New York City instead of at home in Connecticut. She wanted as much distance between her mom and that letter as possible, even if it meant suffering through another boring book launch.
"Having a good time, darling?" Emmy's mom said as she handed her a fancy- looking glass. She took a sip and just about gagged. She didn't know what real champagne tasted like, but the fake stuff was like someone had dropped Pop Rocks into a bucket of rotting apples. She did her best to smile. Her mom was mad enough already.
"Thankfully, no one's noticed the bandage under your hat," her mom whispered. "Why you insisted on playing in that soccer game today is beyond me." She smiled and waved at one of the partygoers. "You knew my book launch was this evening, and yet..."
Emmy rubbed her forehead, where a ridiculous hat covered three fresh stitches. What was she supposed to say? Sorry I'm a good soccer player, Mom. I'll try to suck more, that way I won't get on the good teams. "I can't just skip a match, Mom. My team— "
"Your team can certainly do without you for one game, Emmeline."
Emmy cringed. It was never a good sign when her full name came out.
Her mom took a sip of champagne. "Listen Emmy, there's something we need to talk about after the party."
Emmy held her breath. Her mom didn't know about the letter, did she? If she'd found out...if she knew what Emmy was about to do...
"It's about my book tour."
Emmy breathed out and picked at the front of her dress. She had to put her search out of her mind tonight. The last thing she needed was her mom getting suspicious.
"After my tour is done, I have another project in the works. I don't want to get into the details now, but things will be a bit different. I just want you to be prepared."
The nerves wriggled back into Emmy's stomach. Be prepared. That's what her science teacher, Mrs. Henry, had said during their natural disaster drill last week.
From The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel ©2019. Published by Sourcebooks Young Readers.