Barbara Frances Press Kit

The debut children's novel by screenwriter, theatre
director, and educator Barbara Frances is a new,
action-packed children's book written especially for
ages 8 through 14. Children will enjoy this exciting
read while also improving their reading skills.
Twenty nine chapters filled with twists and turns
keep kids reading to discover the outcome.

A New Hero Is Born

Lottie is my kind of people. A real person. Caring, smart, savvy. She may be
only a kid, but she's a great role model for anybody. And she has the most
interesting, sometimes kind of scary, adventures. And she meets weird
people, funny people, wacky people, serious people. Sometimes she gets
herself in a pickle, but she always rises to the occasion and figures out how to
get out of it. She doesn't reject the kindness of strangers either.

More than anything, Lottie is saturated with decency. She's doesn't have to be
in control all the time. She can be vulnerable. She can be hurt. But she likes
herself no matter what. And she likes people. All people.

If you liked A Wrinkle in Time, you'll like Lottie's Adventures as well.

They crawled through the clearing to the back of the house and crouched behind the hedges. Two
yardmen were planting bushes right next to the back door. Oh no, thought Lottie, nothing is
easy. She looked at her new watch. She had promised her grandmother she'd be home by five
sharp, and that was less than an hour away. Lottie sighed, "Okay, Charles Ray, I'm going to have
to get them to move and when I do..."

"Wait," Charles Ray was pointing, "they're leaving." Sure enough the men had loaded up the
wheelbarrow and were heading to the far side of the house. "Well, let's get to the house, but stay
low and follow me."

With that Lottie started running in a half-crouch position zigzag from one flower bush or hedge to
another. Finally they were at the back door. Lottie looked through the glass top of the door into
the back foyer. The pantry door was open, but no one was in there, and the door to the kitchen
was closed. The stairway to the servant's section was across from the pantry.

Lottie whispered to Charles Ray even though no one could have heard her on the other side of
the door. "You go first and head up those stairs as fast as you can, but try not to make a sound.
Let's take off our shoes. We don't want Judith to come out of the kitchen. She's..." Lottie made a
face and a slashing motion across her throat.

After the shoes were off, Charles Ray opened the door and, in a second, was across the foyer and
racing up the steps. When Lottie saw that the kitchen door remained closed, she took off. On the
landing at the top of the stairs, they pressed themselves against the wall into the shadows and
waited.