The Forgotten Book

Sixteen-year-old Emma Morgenroth loves Stolzenburg Castle, the German boarding school where her father serves as headmaster. While in the unused west wing of the castle, Emma discovers an ancient book she calls the chronicle. Whatever is written in it comes true, something Emma discovers after accidentally unleashing a lion on school grounds. Students have written in the book for generations, and excerpts from it appear throughout Glaser’s novel, along with the story of a faun seeking his true love. Two boys have also arrived at the castle, and one of them, Darcy de Winter, wants to investigate the disappearance of his twin sister, Gina, four years earlier. Darcy initially feuds with Emma, but when Gina’s disappearance appears linked to the chronicle, they join forces to find her. Boarding school life provides a vivid backdrop to the twisty central mystery. Emma’s narration can be stiff and dense with detail (“From the late afternoon onward, ex-students would start arriving for the school’s 190th alumni reunion, and the climax of the festivities would be on Sunday evening at the annual Stolzenburg Autumn Ball”), but Gläser (The Book Jumper) keeps readers guessing until the end. Ages 12–up. [em](Jan.) [/em]