❖ First Place Winner: Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Fiction Awards (CIBA) ❖ Best Book Awards Finalist 2025 ❖ Fiction Cover Design Awards Shortlist (CIBA) "...a fascinating, original supernatural twist to historical facts, adding real-world substance with coastal travel highlights, a grade-schooler's relatable issues, and a touch of romance and mystery from the distant past."—Kirkus Reviews "There's never been a trip up California's Highway One...filled with such adventure. An overnight stop at the real Deetjen's Inn in Big Sur uncovers a series of supernatural encounters with an amazing cast of historical characters—and in the end, it all seems quite natural!" —Dan Krieger , Professor Emeritus of History, Calif. Polytechnic Univ. and Liz Krieger , Retired County Librarian It's bad enough being the new kid in class, but Sara's secret belief in magic is about to go viral all over school, thanks to the Terrible Twins. How on earth can she prove magic exists? And fast! Help comes from some ghostly allies she literally stumbles into in a most unexpected place. Hidden deep in an old hotel closet, Sara discovers Silas (an abandoned Civil War coat). He introduces her to six ghosts of clothes worn by real-life people in history whose stories the clothes are eager to tell. But that's not all they have to share. Together, the ghost clothes help Sara come up with a plan to save her own skin and even magic itself. It just might work! Now, whether Sara has the courage to carry it out...that's another matter. But what really does matter? Being right, or being a friend? Deetjen's Closet is a captivating historical fantasy with splashes of magic for readers 8-12. At the end of the book, they'll find bonus material from the story—including how to bake fortune cookies, tie a Bowline knot and fold a dollar-bill into a heart. Lexile Measure: 660 "An engaging young hero leads this inventive, intelligently mounted fantasy." ~ Kirkus Review "As the first book in a new fantasy series, this will be sure to delight fans of Alice in Wonderland and Chronicles of Narnia. Moving to a new town is never easy. It's even more difficult when you have to deal with bullies. A trip to Deetjen's Inn changes everything for Sara. Based on real locations and real people, the story flawlessly intertwines fantasy and history. This book is appropriate for middle grade readers and also adults who would like a history lesson about the state of California!" ~ LibraryThing Reviewer