Here are only a few of the wonderful, strange, and mysterious elements in this breathtaking visit to the Kingdoms and Empires: A very proper girl named Lillian Velvet, living a very lonely life with a nasty Grandmother. A jar of coins, each with the power to take Lillian on a journey to a different time and place…and also to grant a single wish. A small boy in a barn about to be crushed to death by a load of hay. A family, each member in mortal danger, who are strangers to Lillian (but whom clever readers will recognize). And a web of dangerous magic closing tight around all. Who IS this Lillian Velvet? And what is her secret? Only Jaclyn Moriarty has the ability to make readers laugh, even while they grip the sides of their chairs in suspense. In THE SECRET OF LILLIAN VELVET she is at the height of her storytelling powers, spinning, spinning, spinning seemingly disparate elements until all is revealed as one delicious, tantalizing whole.

Lillian Velvet is a girl with a secret, one that even she doesn't know but one that will take her on a quest through time and places till the mystery is answered. the latest in Jaclyn Moriarty's magical and enthralling series.

"Splendidly entertaining."—Kirkus Reviews ★ "A delightfully quirky story with nuance, depth, and a colorful cast of characters, this book begs for multiple readings." —School Library Journal (starred) ★ "Like a middle-grade version of Terry Pratchett's Discworld—fantasy adventure steeped in humor, with a touch of satire, and set in a whimsical secondary world of the highest order." —Booklist (starred) "The tale crescendos to an uplifting close that promotes honesty, bravery, and self-confidence." —Publishers Weekly Twelve-year-old Esther Mettlestone-Staranise loves reading books and writing stories but is troubled by low self-esteem and recurring bad dreams. When she starts the year at boarding school in earnest, she quickly notices something isn't quite right. Her two best friends are mysteriously missing. There are rumors her new teacher is secretly an actual ogre. And the scenic mountains of her quaint little town are teeming with Shadow Mages and danger. As secrets and dangers escalate, Esther must find the answers to several puzzles. Why is her teacher behaving so oddly? Which of Esther's classmates is the Spellbinder, and can they really protect the school from gathering hordes of Shadow Mages? Could the Stolen Prince of Cloudburst be connected? How can Esther – who is not talented like her sisters, nor an adventurer like her cousin, but just Esther – save her family, her school and possibly her entire world?

Life is good. For most of us in America, life is very good. Many of us spend our years following our career dreams, enjoying those we love, trying to give back to our communities, and even being involved in our church. It is all great stuff. The good life becomes the goal. It gives a confident but false feeling of security by letting us think God must be okay with us because things are smooth. We rarely, if ever, seek to know our Creator in a personal way. Often justifying that our decisions are His will, we glide along through the good life. But He wants more. When there is an awakening of the soul, it is God calling us. Sometimes life takes us to a place we don't know--but a place where God can get our attention. And if we are fortunate enough to listen and choose to follow His call, He will respond and come in and dwell with us. We finally belong. We belong to the one who transcends this life. Our desire to be with Him begins to absorb us. For some, this can be a traumatic or dramatic experience. But many may not have such an eventful conversion. The good, decent life that many live in today's America may actually make it more difficult to realize that the plan of salvation is meant for each individually. God does not want to just coexist somewhere out there; He is the reason for our existence. He loves us and wants a relationship with each of us.

Obsessively neat Lily, a writer who writes about writers, is asked to interview the enigmatic Rita Boothe, journalist, photographer, self-styled culinary expert and wit. Sitting in Rita's living room, leafing through a book of photographs from the early seventies, Lily comes across a picture of an incandescently sexy young woman sitting in the back of a limousine swigging Jack Daniels. It is her mother, Mattie. Lily isn't shocked. She's envious. She wants to be like that--beautiful, exuberant. Mattie, though, is no longer the meltingly gorgeous creature she was. She and her husband scrape by and bicker. Upstairs in their neglected house, Grandpa flirts on the Internet. Marie, Lily's sister, is facing a custody suit. Rory, the brother, hates coming home--those endless catch-up conversations. Usually it is Lily, the dutiful daughter, who sorts out the family. She knows she's flawed, but boringly so. Now she wants to be flawed in an interesting way, to be a woman of wicked mystery and intrigue. Like the one in the photograph. SECRETS OF A FAMILY ALBUM is a beautifully written novel that explores the struggles and triumphs of one extraordinary family.