Augusta Huiell SeamanCritiques

Enid and Naomi Fletcher love the old antebellum mansion known as Pettigrew's Folly, and are naturally dismayed at the arrival of Ronny and Leila Speer, children of the millionaire "Shoe King," who reveal that their father is planning to buy the house and tear it down. The girls let the newcomers in on the secret cache of papers they discovered in a secret room, and soon all four are hard at work to unravel the mystery of the broken sundial and the disinherited son of the mansion's first owner.

Mom's review:
Fascinating mystery novel for children. The novel is set in New York in the early 1900s. Three sisters, the vivacious Jess and Bess and the frail invalid Margie, make friends with the charming, but eccentric Corinne and become interested in antiquities. The girls form an Antiquarian society. Eventually, they are joined by younger brother Alexander, whose turn-of-the-20th-century New York slang is absolutely hilarious. They discover a mysterious coded manuscript in a chest in the attic, and are eventually able to piece together a dramatic story from the past involving a brave young girl named Alison, a lost sapphire signet, George Washington, and rebels and traitors in Bermuda. A very entertaining read!