The peaceful civilisation of Valorim is under siege and about to fall to the dark Lord Mondus. In a panic, they bind all their world's beauty into one necklace and hurl it into the cosmos . . . into the lunchbox of sixth-grader Tommy Pepper. He puts it on. Soon Tommy is doodling strange pictures and hearing strange music. But his mother has just died and his little sister isn't speaking, so he barely notices at first. Schmidt masterfully presents the epic story of a family trying to redefine itself in the wake of tragedy. AGES: 10-14 AUTHOR: Gary D. Schmidt is the best-selling author of the National Book Award finalist Okay for Now, the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and the Newbery Honor book The Wednesday Wars. He is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Visit him at www.hmhbooks.com/schmidt. REVIEWS: "Schmidt, already a best-seller and award winner, should pick up even more fans with this crowd-pleasing fantasy." -Booklist