Product Description: Jess has a secret: a mysterious glass flask she finds in an heirloom desk's hidden compartment. Its surface swirls with iridescent colors, like something's inside, something almost like a song, something with a soul. No one else sees anything under the shifting glass, but Jess is convinced there must be some kind of magic in there...read more

* 2013 Honor Book--Society of School Librarians International, Language Arts-Grades K-6 Novels.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An imaginative boy, his metal detector, mysterious artifacts, and a forgotten battle fill this historical novel set in Upstate New York."On days like this I imagine I've woken up in heaven. Squeaky brings me to the first garage sale, where there are a hundred people lined up outside. I smile at the nice lady by the garage door, and she lets me in early. Under a pile of books I find an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Fireworks go off inside my head when I see the price tag-25¢. I pay the lady and race back home, Squeaky begging me the whole time to tell him what I bought. Mom gives me a record-breaking hug. I sell it for a million dollars, and Mom and I retire to Florida and swim in blue water with brightly colored fish." Cooper and his mom run an antique business out of the old barn next to their house. Actually, Cooper does most of the work, since his mom tends to get lost in her own thoughts. He rides his bike, Squeaky, to garage sales looking for treasures, sets the resale prices, and orders the groceries. There's never much money left after he pays the electric bill, and he dreams of finding something spectacular that would make life easier--but really, he and his mom are doing okay. At least he's better at sniffing out antiques than Mr. Shepherd, the director of the historical museum, who doesn't have Cooper's knack for getting into garage sales early. Then one day Cooper comes home with a metal detector from his garage sale hunts. He begins searching his backyard, and what he finds there sends him on a historical adventure and journey of self-discovery that will make this summer unforgettable.