Eight Keys

"LaFleur writes with uncommon sensitivity to the fraught period between childhood and the teenage years, when friendships balance on a razor's edge and nothing feels certain. The heart of the story lies in the layered relationships and characters that give the novel its powerful sense of realism."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Elise has loved her life with Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh so far, and she’s always been best friends with her neighbor, Franklin. But when Elise starts middle school, suddenly everything goes wrong: more family moves into their house; things with Franklin seem off, somehow; she can’t keep up in school; and her locker partner is a nightmare. That’s when Elise discovers a secret, one that has been waiting for her since she was a little girl. She’s never given much thought to the eight locked rooms above her uncle’s workshop in the barn; that is, not until she’s ready for something to change, not until she finds a key with her name on it…

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