"ninety percent of who you are is invisible." 

Amedeo Kaplan seems just like any other new kid who has moved into the town of St. Malo, 
Florida, a navy town where new faces are the norm. But Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More 
than anything in the world, he wants to discover something -- a place, a process, even a fossil -- 
some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a 
true friend to share these things with. 

William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof boy who is all edges and 
who owns silence the way other people own words. When Amedeo and William find themselves 
working together on a house sale for Amedeo's eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an 
inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender's mansion is crammed with 
memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find 
themselves caught up in one particular story -- a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an 
old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany. It's a 
story that will take them to the edge of what they know about heroism and the mystery of the 
human heart. 

Two-time Newbery winner E. L. Konigsburg spins a magnificent tale of art, discovery, friendship, 
history, and truth.