The House of Found Objects [Hardcover]

For fans of Beth Lincoln’sThe Swiftscomes a “delightful, charming” (Shelf Awareness, starred review) mystery filled with cryptic clues and wonderful word puzzles as two cousins search for their grandmother’s missing portrait.

Twelve-year-old Bea from Passaic, New Jersey, is visiting her family in Paris for the summer when her grandmother’s most precious heirloom—a drawing by Henri Matisse—goes missing. After a cryptic clue arrives on Bea’s doorstep suggesting its whereabouts, Bea is determined to pursue the lead.

Without the French skills to navigate her way around the landmarks of Paris, she teams up with her cousin, Céline, whose clear-eyed French directness makes her a perfect partner for curious, problem-solving Bea. The girls embark on a city-wide search, deciphering riddles, solving puzzles, and cracking codes as they try to locate the Matisse, find a thief, and identify their mysterious benefactor.Originally from the North of England, Jo Beckett-King spent several years in Paris after graduating from university. Following a stint in New York, she now lives with her husband and son in San Francisco, where she writes and works as a French–English translator. In addition to her middle grade fiction, Jo writes for adults; her short stories have been listed for the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Short Story Prize in the United Kingdom. Visit her at JoBeckettKing.com.Chapter 1

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The envelope on the floor was sealed with red wax and addressed to “La jeune fille,” elegantly written in fountain pen. There was no stamp or even an apartment number: it had been slipped under the door overnight.

Bea put aside her dog-eared copy of101 Brain-Blóµ