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The Real Treasure is the Memories
The Hidden Room follows two best friends who, while searching for a neighbor’s cat, stumble upon a hidden room in their building’s basement where they find a cedar chest marked J.K. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When I was a girl, my mother gave me a decorative wooden chest with a lock that had belonged to her. It was about the size of a jewelry box. I kept all my precious items in it. I had ticket stubs from favorite concerts, school ribbons I’d won, photos from special events, even a ring made out of grass that a summer love gave me. If I had lost that box, all those wonderful mementos would be lost too. I loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries growing up. Turning a forgotten cedar chest into a mystery to be solved seemed natural.
Riley and Ava have different approaches, which frequently help them notice things the other might miss. What did you want their partnership to show young readers about the value of having friends who aren’t exactly like themselves?
I think kids today are under a lot of pressure to perform, compete, and be the best. Through Riley and Ava, I wanted to show that sometimes we accomplish more when we stop trying to do everything on our own and learn to value someone else’s skills. Riley and Ava have different strengths, different ways of looking at problems, and different ways of seeing the world. Those differences often help them notice things the other might have missed. Having a friend who thinks differently can open your eyes to new possibilities and give you a much broader view of the world.
The girls aren’t searching for buried treasure in the traditional sense, yet what they find is extremely valuable to another person. Were you intentionally playing with children’s expectations of what “treasure” means?
I don’t think so. Sure, there are lots of stories of “buried treasure” relating to money or valuables that might make someone’s life easier. But I’ve heard children describe a special rock they find, or an old key, or a friendship bracelet as treasures. My little wooden box full of mementos was a treasure to me. I wanted to concentrate on the “treasure” of family and the memories of those long past.
Their apartment building seems like exactly the sort of place that could be hiding more secrets. Are there other stories from Veil Crest Manor that you’d like to explore?
Oh, yes! The second book in the series, The Clue in the Library, which will be out this fall, centers on an old piece of paper Riley and Ava find lying on the floor. It contains a rhyming clue that sends them searching both inside and outside the Manor. In other books, there may be a mysterious noise heard only in the middle of the night, or objects that move from place to place, but the renters deny moving them; perhaps even a ghost or two will appear.
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When rain interrupts the day’s plans for best friends Riley and Ava, they expect another ordinary afternoon in their apartment building. Instead, they offer to find Mrs. Bustlebottom’s runaway cat, Snooker, and quickly find themselves caught up in an adventure.
Their search leads them to the dark, musty basement, where a faint meow and a trail of paw prints reveal something incredible: a hidden door sealed behind a stack of boxes. What they find isn’t just a secret room – it’s a doorway into the past.
Inside lies a forgotten room, frozen in time. Old furniture, mysterious boxes, dusty books, and a beautiful cedar chest marked J. K. whisper of secrets long buried.
What begins as a fun place to turn into a clubhouse soon becomes a mystery to be solved. Within the chest, the girls uncover a diary, a photo album, and a locket that once belonged to Juliette Kingsley, a girl who lived there long ago. Her diary hints at a new love, family, and a mystery that abruptly ended in 1973.
Together, the two girls set out to return the treasures to their rightful owner. As they dig deeper into Juliette’s story, they unravel the truth about a tragic fire and a connection that reaches right into their own lives. A rainy-day rescue of a troublesome cat turns into a quest that links past and present.
Now, Riley and Ava aren’t just solving a decades-old mystery; they’re becoming part of it.
The Hidden Room
The Hidden Room by Caren Cantrell is a children’s chapter book about best friends Riley and Ava, two ten-year-olds whose search for a missing cat leads them to a sealed room beneath their apartment building. What begins as a rainy-day rescue quickly becomes a clue-filled investigation involving an old chest, a diary, photographs, a locket, and the forgotten history of Veil Crest Manor. The mystery unfolds in clear steps, so young readers can follow the girls’ discoveries and make guesses alongside them.
Riley and Ava make an appealing detective team because their personalities fit together so naturally. Riley is impulsive, adventurous, and driven by curiosity, while Ava is thoughtful, cautious, and good at remembering details. Their friendship gives the story plenty of playful conversation, but it also provides a steady emotional center. Riley’s experience of losing her father adds weight to her determination to return Juliette’s belongings, turning the mystery into something more personal than simply finding out who “JK” was.
The book moves at a comfortable pace for developing readers. Short chapters, frequent dialogue, and small cliffhangers keep the investigation moving without making the plot difficult to track. The clues build sensibly from the diary and photo album to old newspaper articles and Mrs. Bustlebottom’s memories. The historical details from the 1970s, including the clothes, books, photographs, and diary entries, give the hidden room its own personality and make Juliette’s past feel close enough to touch. Some of the coincidences are tidy, but they suit the warm, accessible mystery the story is telling.
Bianca Clark’s grayscale illustrations add energy and atmosphere throughout the book. The basement scenes use shadows, cobwebs, old furniture, and the girls’ expressive faces to make the exploration feel spooky without becoming frightening. Other images highlight important clues, such as Juliette’s diary, the newspaper article, the birthday photograph, and the visit with Mrs. Bustlebottom. The pictures also help distinguish Riley’s boldness from Ava’s caution through their body language. Altogether, The Hidden Room is a friendly, emotionally grounded mystery about curiosity, teamwork, memory, and the pleasure of returning something precious to the person who lost it.
Pages: 107 | ASIN : B0G4KM2X7Y
