When 10-year-old Molly Parnell’s grandmother mysteriously disappears she and her mother travel to Cape Cod to take ownership of the house they inherited and find out answers about the sudden disappearance. But what they discover could be more dangerous and life changing than they ever imaged. Molly and her mother find a beautiful mermaid welcome sign in the attic and place it on the front door. Unusual things start to happen and they are flooded with visitors who claim they knew the grandmother. The true powers behind the mysterious sign are revealed as Molly learns her grandmother was part of a secret organization working to keep balance between the magical realm and the real world. The magical realms placed an invisible veil of secrecy over the world to hide their true identities from the human world but allowing them to live among them in secret. An angry rebel group of magical beings, tired of living in hiding is tearing down and destroying the magical cloaking fabric between the two worlds. If they are not stopped the magical realm will no longer be safe from the world. As Molly and her mom embark on a dangerous and magical adventure throughout the magical realms to help stop the rebels, she learns of her own magical powers and her strong family heritage connected to the welcome sign. Along the way, she teams up with new magical friends helping to keep the realm of magic safe from the eyes of the world and discovers that her grandmother was right all along. The world she thought she knew no longer exists, but an amazing world of magic woven into their world has always been hiding in plain sight.
Book Cover:
I am so in love with this cover. Love the blues and the greens and love how they incorporated a welcome sign on a door to give us an idea what the book is about.
Favorite Quote:
“Okay. Okay. Here goes. The legend goes something like this . . . apparently a long, long time ago, an alliance was created between the human world and the water world. A magical portal was created for true believers to cross between the two realms. It was said that as a gift, a perfectly rounded black pearl was presented to the chosen true believer. It was believed that this special gift came directly from the ruler of the ocean. This incredible pearl was said to be the key to opening the doorway between the two worlds. Without the magical pearl, the door would remain closed forever. Spooky stuff, huh, honey?”
First Chapter Review:
Nine year old Molly is sitting on her bed with her cat. A storm is going through and it's making her hate the creepy old house even more but it was all her mother and she could afford since Molly's father died. Sitting on the bed, she started thinking about her grandmother's house and how she loved it there. So many good memories plus it was warm and inviting, not like this old house. I loved the banter between mother and daughter and during this Molly's grandmother's house came up. Molly wanted to know why they just couldn't go there and live permanently. But it just wasn't what her mother wanted to do. Her mother and grandmother didn't see eye to eye on things which Molly didn't realize. All Molly knew was that her grandmother's house was far better than this old decrepit house they were in. The phone rings. It's the police. Molly's grandmother has died. And this is where the first chapter ends. Nothing was the same for Molly ever again.
Keep Reading?
I am loving this first chapter! If I were a young adult, this is the type of book I'd be reading. Even as an adult, I am loving it. My question is...what's the secret behind the welcome sign?
I give this first chapter a 5 star rating!
Barbara Jean Weber lives in Skagit County with her husband and two daughters, where she works as a speech and language therapist. Her novel, The Welcome Sign, was inspired when she was gifted a mermaid welcome sign. The more she studied the sign, the more her story evolved. She is currently an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Visit her website at https://www.barbarajeanweber.com/.
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