Back to Wonder

Stranger Things meets Erin Entrada Kelly's The First State of Being in this captivating mystery by New York Times-bestselling author Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

The year is 1985 and three kids are brought together unexpectedly after discovering an abandoned hot air balloon in an overgrown field—Elizabeth, who is tired of abiding by her parents’ strict rules and craves an exciting adventure; Lily, who cares deeply about the natural world and wishes she had the ability to make things better; and Jacob, who loves art and recently relocated to the area to live with his grandparents.

Investigating where this balloon could have come from leads the misfits on a quest to find Steven Spielberg, rumored to be filming in the area. All three hope meeting the famous director will lead them closer to solving their own problems. But when the quest goes terribly wrong, the trio must rely on one another for more than just safety. Will the map they find ultimately lead them to the magical place called Wonder? With a dash of the fantastical, this compelling mystery-adventure gets at the heart of discovering that the hero you've been waiting for is closer than you think.