CHRIS BRODIEN-JONES studied writing at Emerson College, Boston, and has been a journalist, editor and teacher. She now splits her time between Gloucester, Massachusets, and Deer Isle, Maine. Look for her other book for young readers, The Owl Keeper, available form Delacorte Press.

Zagora Pym has always wanted to be a desert explorer. Her father, Charlie Pym, is exactly that, and she's always loved to look over his maps of far away exotic places. One day she'd be trekking through the deserts of Africa and China, discovering hidden treasures from lost tribes. But Zagora would never have guessed that her chance to prove herself would come so soon. Like most adventures, it starts with a mysterious letter. The question is, how will this adventure end?
Zagora's dreams of desert exploration are about to come ture, but are she and her father and brother being followed? And will they ever make it back to civilization?