Becky is the math whiz, but Sam is pretty sure he can count to four—or can he? Sam and Becky have visited a lot of lighthouses during their summer vacations (helping Mom and Dad write their book about lighthouses), so Sam knows how to count lighthouse flashes. Why is this one so different? For two whole weeks, Sam, Becky, Mom and Dad are staying on North Carolina(s amazing Oak Island and sharing a house right on the beach with Dad(s best friend and his family. What starts out as a typical vacation quickly becomes a series of puzzling events when Sam and Becky and their new friends realize that they all share the same secret about the Oak Island Lighthouse. Join the kids as they solve puzzles and try to figure out where the clues are leading, but beware! For pirates have roamed the treacherous waters around Cape Fear—some say they still do. It(s all part of the mystery of Oak Island and the magic of summer in North Carolina. M.C. Tillson loves reading and writing children(s books. Ask her what her favorite books were when she was growing up and she rattles off a list: The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dangerous Island , the Anne of Green Gables books, and, of course, Nancy Drew mysteries. She soon stops and protests,"I can't pick. I haven t even mentioned A Wrinkle in Time , Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day , Taffy of Torpedo Junction , or any of the Dr. Seuss books that I read over and over." When Ms. Tillson is not playing with er I mean training her puppy, working as a technical writer in California(s Silicon Valley, or substituting at the local elementary school, she's most likely working on her Lighthouse Adventures, a series of mysteries for middle graders. Her latest book, The Mystery at Oak Island , is the first book in a mystery trilogy that features pirates and lighthouses from her native North Carolina. Ms. Tillson(s previous books, The Clue at Copper Harbor , The Mystery at Eagle Harbor , and The Secret of Bete Grise Bay , are popular middle-grade mysteries set in one of her favorite places: Michigan(s amazing Upper Peninsula. Ms. Tillson lives in Northern California with her son and their new Brittany. She is a huge fan of the San Francisco Giants (World Series Champions for 2010, 2012, AND 2014!) She likes traveling to fun places, working in her garden, playing cards, and reading. Her favorite color is green and her favorite food is anything Italian. She loves talking with kids especially about their favorite books.