The Briars Bemused

"We won't be here. We won't be anywhere. It will be as if we've never existed."

Trapped in the Royal Ontario Museum's American Indian Gallery, three terrified spirits wait anxiously, fearing they'll go poof!

Up north, still gripped by the terrors of her nightmare where she's ensnared moments before the Halifax Explosion, Emily scurries to the trolley for Toronto.

A twelve-year-old on her own must keep her wits.

Men are trailing her. The Grim wants to fetch the truancy officer. And every time she dozes off, the nightmare deepens.

And if she doesn't arrive where the magic is drawing her...

Travel to Toronto in 1919, home to the most astonishing people:

A "looter" of ancient Egyptian crypts; the women who are modernizing fledgling Canada; a woman travelling alone to deep China.

And a sickly young nurse, Miss Amelia Earhart, who falls into Emily's arms and dreams of flying.

Mystery, magic, suffrage, post-war anxiety and promise, and a plucky protagonist make this book a pleasurable read for a cozy corner or a magic-filled classroom.

The Briars Bemused is the first in the Emily Twillum Adventure series, a prequel to The Briars Between. Readers of Anne of Green Gables will enjoy this series.

"The way you have written this book is very captivating ... it's witty, engaging, and rich with historical detail."