"ninety percent of who you are is invisible."
Amedeo Kaplan seems just like any other new kid who has moved into the
town of St. Malo, Florida, a navy town where new faces are the norm. But
Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants
to discover something -- a place, a process, even a fossil -- some
treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would
also like to discover a true friend to share these things with.
William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof
boy who is all edges and who owns silence the way other people own
words. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a
house sale for Amedeo's eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an
inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender's mansion is
crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go
with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in one
particular story -- a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an
old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages
of Nazi Germany. It's a story that will take them to the edge of what
they know about heroism and the mystery of the human heart.
Two-time Newbery winner E. L. Konigsburg spins a magnificent tale of
art, discovery, friendship, history, and truth.