Felix and Maisie Robbins are twins whose lives are turned upside down when their parents divorce. They leave New York City to live with their mother in Newport, Rhode Island. They live in the servants quarters of a 70 room mansion that is named Elm Medona. Their great aunt Maisie previously lived in the servants quarters, but turned ill and had to move to a nursing home. This made it possible for them to stay there and start their "new life" as their mother calls it. The twins are not excited to be in Rhode Island. They want to be back in New York with both parents and with their friends.
Although they are not allowed to leave the servants quarters and go into the mansion whenever they choose, they do get a VIP tour of the mansion. It is on this tour that they learn about the treasure chest room. Maisie really wants a closer look at this room, as it seems as if it is filled with treasures and secrets.
When Maisie talks Felix into sneaking out to visit the treasure chest room their lives become very interesting. While they are fighting over a piece of paper with hundreds of names written on it they are whisked away to September 5, 1836 to the Barton farm where they meet a young girl named Clara. They are able to spend sometime with Clara, learning about life in 1836. They even teach her how to play baseball. From what they have learned in school, they figure out that she plays a roll in the upcoming Civil War and when they realize she plays an important roll that might pertain to the list of names they have, so they give it to Clara. Immediately they are whisked back to Newport, Rhode Island where no time at all has passed.
The first day of school is hard because for the first time in their lives they cannot be in the same classroom. However, Maisie is excited about her first school assignment. She has to give an oral report about someone in history that isn't very well known and she can only use books, no Internet. Of course, she chooses Clara Barton and is excited to find many books her in the school library. In a couple of the books, she finds the list of names that they discovered in the treasure chest room. The list is comprised of names of men who had died during battles and the list is the only document that tells what happened to these men. Felix is looking forward to investigating the treasure chest room again, to see what else they may find.
I cannot wait for book #2 in this series. I enjoyed reading about Clara Barton as a child and it made me feel good to know that she had such an impact for good. One never knows what we may become, but we should always look for ways to be of service to others just like Clara. As a librarian, I love that this book encourages readers to go to the library and read more about the person that Felix and Maisie met when they traveled back in time. I really hope many of you will enjoy this book and share your feelings about it here.
After reading this book I hope you'll go out and do a good deed.
Happy Daily Reading
Deanna
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