THE DEEP SOUTH . . . A LONG, LONG WAY FROM MALIBU
Vangie Bradley expects a lame vacation when she and her brother Jason fly from California to spend the summer with their dad. Minnesota isn't exactly a hotbed of fun for thirteen-year-olds, especially ones who like to streak their hair a different color every day.
Then Dad's eccentric great-aunt leaves him her estate, and the family takes off for Prestonburg, Mississippi, where it seems nothing has changed since the Civil War. It's beyond boring. . . until they find a secret letter hidden in an old desk, with clues that may lead to a fortune.
The key is a hundred-year-old test of knowledge. Suddenly Vangie is discovering all sorts of things she never knew existed. And though it's really hard, she refuses to give up. After all, how many people get the chance to find a genuine buried treasure?