Ben and Sara's beloved grandmother, Daphne, has passed away. She was the victim of a heart attack, found by a special
old friend, near the woods she loved dearly. The children are heartbroken and fear that they will never be able to
return to the forest that their grandmother had taught them so much about.
Ben and Sara's mother is terribly afraid of the forest and left many years ago, never wanting to return. At the death
of her mother, she receives a conditional legacy under her mothers will. She will inherit her childhood home, but only
if she resides there for a year. She reluctantly agrees, upon the urging of the children, and sets many conditions.
Ben and Sara also receive messages from their grandmother in the will. Ben's is an intriguing riddle involving
a puzzle, and Sara's is a letter telling her how to continue to grow spiritually and to look for another older person
to help her continue her education about the wood and all things mysterious.
Add to this a much-feared hermit who communicates with the ravens and coyotes, a dear old man who tries hard to help,
another older man who is wheelchair bound and the owner of a three-legged bloodhound, and more and more characters who
carry the story along.
I realize that this was supposed to be a young adult fantasy, but perhaps I am a young adult at heart. I enjoyed each
and every page of the story and found myself rooting for the children, searching for the secrets and hoping that their
parents would finally discover the "dearest freshness deep inside." I would love to read the remainder of this trilogy
to see how the children grown and evolve and solve the puzzles presented to them.