Eleven-year-old Verbena Polter gets through a difficult summer of turbulent emotions and the revelation of a disturbing family secret with an odd new friend who believes she is the ghost of a girl who drowned many years before.

Nonfiction picture book tells the story of Central Park and how it was created out of barren swampland in the 1850s. New York City needed a park -- a special spot to gather, play, and enjoy nature. A quiet, wild place made just for you. In 1858, New York City was growing so fast that new roads and tall buildings threatened to swallow up the remaining open space. The people needed a green place to be -- a park with ponds to row on and paths for wandering...

"Effie moves to Brooklyn to live with her strange aunt and soon discovers that she might be a witch"-- Provided by publisher.