Three American siblings on holiday in a small Italian town encounter an extraordinary creature and find adventure, mystery, and a whole new world of trouble.
For Kate, life back home in Minnesota is a not-so-distant memory. Her father's work has brought the family overseas to a countryside estate in Tuscany. Kate spends much of her time with her younger brother, nine-year-old Michael, roaming the beautiful estate grounds that are filled with moss-covered statues, cypress trees, and olive groves.
But when Kate and Michael find a lost baby griffin--a strange, fantastical creature with colorful downy feathers and tufts of fur-- they enter into a magical adventure marked by danger, fear, and a sinister, beckoning presence named Prince Eduardo.
The two try to keep Grifonino safe and his existence a secret, but pursuit by greedy paparazzi and eager scientists threatens the creature's safety. Now, with the help of their older brother Stephen, the siblings set out to solve the mystery of where the magical creature came from...and how to get him back there once and for all.
Author Kristin Wolden Nitz presents realistic characters enmeshed in complex sibling relationships in this magical mixture of fantasy and adventure that is sure to draw in young middle readers.
