Twelve-year-old Moon lives with her father after her mother disappears, leaving her with nothing but a beautiful ring, which also mysteriously vanishes. After her mother’s departure, her father has become unusually depressed and moody. Moon, however, firmly believes that she will see her mother again and develops a strong interest in magic as a way to find her. Her breakthrough comes when she finds a strange key in the office of Ms. Tanglemoth, the intimidating school librarian. When Moon holds the key, she is transported back in time as an invisible observer to the middle ages, where young Nora, who bears a strong resemblance to Moon’s mother, is oppressed both by her father and his enemies. Moon gradually realizes that she and the key are the means to giving Nora’s murdered ghost peace and to restoring her own mother to her. But how exactly is this to be accomplished?

A mysterious key shows Moon images of medieval times and the means of destroying the family curse.

Move Over, Mickey. Deep inside Sleeping Beauty Castle, in rooms secretly built by Walt Disney himself, live the true champions of Disneyland. Not princes, not Imagineers, not Mickey. Cats. Cats of the Castle! Their mission: to preserve the magic of the park from the villains who would destroy it.

How did a Santa Barbara, California native end up living south of the south? Just what happens to a beginning student of Zen as she sits down on a cushion and watches her mind? How is a Zen retreat like a vacation? These are a few of the questions posed and artfully explored in this journey of self-discovery. "What is going on here?" is the question Schleifer asks herself when visiting her aging mom, hiking in northern Thailand to hill tribe villages, navigating a rain-swelled creek bed in South Africa, crossing a desolate plains checkpoint between Chile and Argentina, and eating four-bowl meals at a Zen retreat. Her discoveries become ours in this clear and poignant account of inner and outer journeys. "The Key to the Castle: Zen and Travel Stories of Trust is not a book about miracles, or about the cathartic purgings that come with tragic engagement; not about hopeless romance or romance finally found. But it is a book about the quiet miraculous found in paying attention to our lives, about what travel does to the nerve endings. This book brings us to the vast landscape of the journey and how the well-traveled soul is the soul that trusts the intelligence of spirit, or psyche, or mind, or heart---whatever you choose as the dominant guide in your own life." Darrell Bourque, author of Megan's Guitar and Other Poems from Acadie, and other books, Louisiana Poet Laureate, 2007-09 and 2009-11 "Zen at its essence is about finding freedom and spontaneity in our lives. Travel is one way many of us get a taste of this experience. In her new book, Sue Schleifer brings together her experiences of Zen and travel to reveal the wonders of a life lived freshly in the moment." Zen Master Bon Soeng, Empty Gate Zen Center "With some trepidation, I read Sue's chapters that describe the early days of Backroads and was immediately transported back in time by her thoughtful prose. It also gave me a chance to reflect on how much Backroads has changed, for the better. Her insider's look at active travel will give both armchair travelers and adventure seekers an appreciation for how experiencing new places encourages us to ask life's big questions." Tom Hale, Founder and President, Backroads, the active travel company

Heavy emotions meet a deep well of understanding in this uplifting sibling story

A magical castle with a life of its own ... and a plucky princess who will defend it at all cost