The Big House

When the judge declares their parents guilty of embezzlement, sending them to the big house for twenty-five years, Ivy and Ray are sent to live with Marietta and Lionel Noland, their parents’ accusers. As soon as they arrive at the Noland mansion, Ivy begins planning their escape . . . and trying to find a way to free their parents. The two collect evidence, including a shrouded portrait and a hidden document in Marietta and Lionel’s decaying wedding cake. Finally they bring Marietta to trial—with Ivy as the judge—and family secrets begin to emerge. Can Ivy and Ray put the pieces together to convict Marietta of lying? Will they be able to spring their parents from the big house? The Big House is multiple award-winning author Carolyn Coman’s first book for younger readers.