Final Word (The Winterton Deception)

Final Word (The Winterton Deception)

MP3 CD Format It rained the day we went to see Brandon Winterton's grave. Hope Smith can't stand rich people--the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton's charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn't have much of a choice. After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Chalet to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor--an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives. Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen. A taut, clever clue hunt unafraid to tackle the challenges and secrets often kept behind closed doors, Final Word is a gripping series starter sure to satisfy even the most voracious armchair detectives. "Overtones of Agatha Christie...Intelligent, intricately plotted, and ultimately moving." -- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)" Janet Sumner Johnson is the author of both middle grade novels and picture books, including her debut picture book, Help Wanted: Must Love Books, which won the 2021 CLEL Bell Picture Book Award and was nominated for the Colorado and Washington Children's Choice Book Awards. Learn more about her and her books at janetsumnerjohnson.com.