A mohawked boy on a skateboard, the caped goose whisperer, pet cow Princess Willowdale

Deon Dawn, brave little Bitty, and the truly unflappable Guinevere St. Clair make an unlikely

team, but watch out, Crow, Iowa; they’re ready to turn the town upside down.

When Guinevere’s family relocates from NYC to small town Iowa, no one is prepared for this whirlwind of a girl, except her father and his old friend, Gaysie Cutter, a remarkable force of nature if there ever was one. There are secrets to be uncovered, and when Gaysie practically covers up Guinevere while burying the family dog, she sets the challenge for the above quartet of sleuths.

Who is this woman and what happened to Wilbur Truesdale, owner of the Blue Mistress?

First, though, a few facts: the girls’ mother, Vienna, suffered brain damage from a fall when

Guinevere was four, and recovered only as far as her 13 year old persona would allow. The

doctors and her husband, professional dentist and newly minted brain researcher, reason that

moving back to her hometown could only benefit her and the family, but they didn’t reckon on

the four children uncovering the particulars of the long ago sledding accident that left Gaysie

emotionally and physically scarred and Myron Myrtle dead. Add to that the daring duo of

skateboarding Jimmy with his handy bedroom zipline escape and a yearning to float down the

Mississippi a la Huck Finn, Gaysie’s lost finger, a revealing spring flood, and “The Creepers,”

and what more could you ask for?

Local author Amy Makechnie has written a wonderful story about childhood’s many joys and

mysteries, coupled with the aches and pains of growing up, just a little. After surviving an

adventure all too reminiscent of their parents’, Jimmy finds home a good place to be for now,

while Micah retains his cape but finds courage deep within to stand up for himself. Bitty

embodies the loyalty of younger siblings everywhere, but oh, that Guinevere-what will become

of her after she discovers Wilbur’s hat in an open coffin but nothing else?

I’m on my second reading because the first time through, I was so caught up in Guinevere’s

dramatics that I couldn’t keep track of the action. Now, I can chart the changes in her

grandmother, whose house her father has returned them to, and the family’s gradual

acceptance of the facts of life in Crow, past, present, and on down the zip line. Hang on for the

ride-you won’t regret one minute!