The Silver Box
An Enchantment Lake Mystery
Margi Preus
In the final Enchantment Lake mystery, Francie’s search for the truth about her mother—and herself—plunges her into danger during a North Woods winter
One ominous clue after another reveal that Francie possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is.
Margi Preus shows her deep knowledge of and appreciation for Minnesota while telling an engaging story with puzzles and action and heart. The Silver Box is truly a celebration of our state—from its North Woods to its Twin Cities landmarks.
Kurtis Scaletta, author of Lukezilla Beats the Game
When she wakes in her aunts’ cold cabin on the shore of Enchantment Lake, Francie remembers: everything about her life has changed. Or is about to. Or just might. Everything depends on the small, engraved silver box that she now possesses—if only she can follow its cryptic clues to the whereabouts of her missing mother and understand, finally, just maybe, the truth about who she really is.
Francie, it turns out, has a lot to learn, and this time the lessons could be deadly. Her search for answers takes her and her best friends Raven and Jay as far afield as an abandoned ranch in Arizona and as close to home as a sketchy plant collector’s conservatory and a musty old museum where shadows lurk around every display case. At the heart of it all is a crime that touches her own adopted North Woods: thieves dig up fragile lady’s slippers, peel bark from birches, strip moss off trees, cut down entire forests of saplings to sell for home décor. But Francie is up against no ordinary plant theft. One ominous clue after another reveal that she possesses something so rare and so valuable that some people are willing to do anything to get it. When Francie’s investigation leads her into the treacherously cold and snowy North Woods, she finds out that she too is being pursued.
$16.95 cloth/jacket ISBN 978-1-5179-0968-0
216 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, October 2020
Margi Preus is a New York Times bestselling author of books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor–winning Heart of a Samurai. Among her other novels are Village of Scoundrels, Shadow on the Mountain, West of the Moon, and The Bamboo Sword, as well as the previous two books in the Enchantment Lake series, Enchantment Lake and The Clue in the Trees, which were published by the University of Minnesota Press and received the Midwest Book Award and the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award. She lives in Duluth.
Margi Preus shows her deep knowledge of and appreciation for Minnesota while telling an engaging story with puzzles and action and heart. The Silver Box is truly a celebration of our state—from its North Woods to its Twin Cities landmarks.
Kurtis Scaletta, author of Lukezilla Beats the Game
This is a great end to what was a really enjoyable YA adventure/mystery series. A fun, entertaining read.
The Book Lover’s Boudoir
A modern Nancy Drew replacement grounded in current technology but largely reliant on brain power and courage.
Kirkus Reviews
I think mystery lovers will definitely enjoy the pacing of this book as well as its unforgettable characters and charming Northwoods setting. It’s an excellent series to get lost in if you’re looking for an engrossing story or something to distract from reality.
The Story Sanctuary
Contents
1. The Wolf
2. The Puzzle Box
3. Snowshoeing
4. The Cabin
5. Strange Lodgings
6. The Apartment
7. At School
8. At the Museum
9. Granddad Interferes
10. School, Then Birch Grove
11. Hiding the Box
12. The Minneapolis Institute of Art
13. Como Park Conservatory
14. A Bit of Down
15. Trouble
16. The Stake-Out
17. More Trouble
18. A Suspicious Death
19. Arizona
20. The Ranch House
21. An Acting Gig
22. Birch Grove
23. The Red Fishhouse
24. Killing of Time
25. A Little Interlude
26. Community Service
27. Loretta’s Cabin
28. Out on the Lake
29. Christmas Evening
Author’s Note
About This Book
Related Publications









