The Secret Staircase

<p><strong>An old house a secret staircase and a hidden time-tunnel.</strong></p><p><strong>A thrilling time-travel adventure for readers aged 8-12.</strong></p><p> </p><p>A quaint old hotel in a sleepy seaside town holds a secret-a hidden staircase that opens a gateway to a tumultuous past.</p><p> </p><p>When twelve-year-old Jay and his younger sister Poppy visit their eccentric grandmother in Russell they'd rather be anywhere else. But strange sounds only they can hear-mysterious voices fireworks or is it gunfire?-make them question their surroundings.</p><p> </p><p>One night they spot two men burying treasure in a garden long overgrown by trees. The mystery deepens as the siblings step into the world of Kororāreka in 1845 a town teetering on the edge of conflict. Caught in a momentous historical event Jay and Poppy must navigate a dangerous past where tensions rise and loyalties are tested.</p><p> </p><p><strong>A modern children's classic from award-winning historical fiction author J L Williams.</strong></p><p><br>If you enjoy Lucy M. Boston's Green Knowe series or The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis you won't be able to put down this gripping time-travel mystery. The Secret Staircase delves into themes of colonization and culture with sensitivity and heart launching readers on an unforgettable adventure.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Can Jay and Poppy trust their new-found friends find the treasure and return to the present before it's too late?</strong></p>