Late one October night, three Hyde Park residents on the south side of Chicago each receive a mysterious letter. The contents are the same. The anonymous writer asks for the recipient’s help in solving a centuries-old crime. The writer informs the recipients that two other people have also received the letter and warns them not to tell anyone about their letter’s contents, as doing so may endanger their lives. Each recipient spends a sleepless night thinking about the strange message, and all feel compelled to accept the task.

Calder Pillay and Petra Andalee are sixth-grade students who attend the innovative Lab School in Hyde Park at the University of Chicago. Calder is fond of his eccentric teacher, Ms. Hussey, because she encourages curiosity. In one of her more unconventional assignments, Ms. Hussey gives her students the task of finding someone who has received a truly extraordinary letter.

As Calder walks home from school that day, he observes Petra walking ahead of him. Although they’re in the same class and live on the same street, Petra and Calder hardly know each other. Calder has always spent most of his free time with his best friend,

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