The Emerald Atlas begins on a snowy Christmas Eve, when three toddlers are taken from their parents and placed in an orphanage in Boston. Ten years and 12 orphanages later, 14-year-old Kate (who promised her mother to keep her younger siblings safe that fateful night), 12-year-old Michael and 11-year-old Emma find themselves in the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. Perhaps they have one more shot at a real home when they are shipped off to the village of Cambridge Falls.
Their new orphanage is the grand estate of a mysterious Dr. Stanislaus Pym, and Kate, Michael and Emma are its only residents. While exploring their new abode, the children find an old green book that transports them to the past, where they find the missing children of Cambridge Falls, held captive by an evil countess. The trio learns that the Atlas is one of three Books of Beginning that possess the secrets of the birth of the universe—and that the Countess will do anything to find them.
With magic, humor and unforgettable characters, John Stephens’ remarkable debut novel follows Kate, Michael and Emma as they attempt to outwit the Countess, rescue the children and maybe even save the world in the process. Unanswered questions and two more books to locate ensure a sequel and more robust adventures ahead.
