Cara’s mother has disappeared. Her father isn’t talking about it. Her big brother Max is hiding behind his iPod, and her genius little brother Jackson is busy studying the creatures he collects from the beach. But when a watery specter begins to haunt the family’s Cape Cod home, Cara and her brothers realize that their scientist mother may not be who they thought she was—and that the world has much stranger, much older inhabitants than they had imagined. With help from Cara’s best friend Hayley, the three embark on a quest that will lead them from the Cape’s hidden, ancient places to a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. They’re soon on the front lines of an ancient battle between good and evil, with the terrifying “pouring man” close on their heels. One chapter will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until all 10 chapters are up. These will be followed by the second book in the series, The Shimmers in the Night. A Junior Library Guild Pick; Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011; Selected for the ABC Best Books for Children Catalog; Locus Notable Books.

A lot can happen in a day, let alone two years. Avery Bridgette van Carter, a twenty-year-old socialite, returns home after running away for two years, in pursuit of living ordinarily. Being the only daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the country, she abandons what others call a perfect life and trades it for a chance to make once-in-a lifetime, dangerous choices. When she returns back to her home hoping to live on her own in secret, she decides to turn over a new leaf and start anew, including cutting ties from her childhood best friend, Eric Greddon, and her lover, Nathan Trevmore. She underestimates the burning desire of both gentlemen to find her and bring her back home. Despite her attempts to blend into the real world, she encounters a myriad of trials, including family scandals and lies that have been kept a secret even before she was born. While Avery was gone, could the people she once thought would be in her life forever take a different turn in her return? HIGHEST RANK: #1 in filipino #1 in featuredstory #1 in aspiringauthor #2 in filipinodrama #2 in privilege #2 in filipinoteenfiction #20 in citylife #22 in parentproblems