THE CASTLE IN THE MIST

A new stand-alone fantasy novel by bestselling adult author and Hollywood royalty Amy Ephron, of the famous Ephron sisters. The story features Tess and Max who travel behind the walls of a magical castle where wishes really do come true—if the hawthorn trees don't get you first.

Tess and Max are sent to the English countryside for the summer and long for some excitement. So when Tess, out for a walk alone, happens upon an ornately carved gate and an old brass key, she decides to see what's inside. To her amazement, she discovers the grounds of a castle filled with swans, bullfrogs, a hedge maze, an old-fashioned carnival, and a boy, William, just her age.

William invites Tess back, and she can't wait to return, this time with her brother. But strange things happen at William's castle. Carnival games are paid for in wishes, dreams seem to come alive, and then there's William's warning: Beware the hawthorn trees. A warning that chills Tess to the bone. In the end it's up to Tess to save her family and her friends from being trapped forever in the world beyond the hawthornsbut will one wish be enough?

In a novel that harkens back to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edward Eagar's Half Magic and the smart, kid-friendly writing of E.L. Konigsburg, Amy Ephron makes her triumphant middle grade debut.

Amy Ephron (www.amyephron.com) is the author of The Castle in the Mist, her first book for young readers. She has written several adult books, including A Cup of Tea, which was an international bestseller and won the 2005 Southern California Booksellers Association award for fiction. Her book One Sunday Morning received the Booklist Best Fiction of the Year and Best Historical Fiction of the Year Awards and was a Barnes and Noble Book Club selection. She is a contributor and contributing editor at Vogue and Vogue.com, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, House Beautiful, and the LA Times, among other publications. Amy was also the executive producer of Warner Brothers' A Little Princess. Amy lives in Los Angeles with her husband; between them they have five children. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @amyephron.phron.