Mr. Barrington’s Mysterious Trunk

A struggle over a bowl of popcorn begins another time-traveling adventure for Nick, Jackie, and Hannah. When Mr. Barrington’s trunk magically appears on the Taylors’ kitchen table, a family of slaves...

In a fast-paced adventure infused with the fascinating cultural and historical details Melodie A. Cuate’s Texas stories are known for, her latest installment pits Comanche warriors and culture against the new order of settlers and the Texas Rangers as the young protagonists wind up at the Battle of Plum Creek—and make friends in unexpected places.

When Mr. Barrington's trunk transports Nick, Hannah, and Jackie into the past, a fascinating trip through Texas history begins

Hannah followed Nick's gaze to gray stone walls. In the corner, the highest point on the horizon, stood a chapel with a bell tower topped with a cross. It was Presidio La Bahia. They were headed back to the fort in Goliad. On the top of the wall, seven soldiers aimed muskets toward the prairie and hills. "What did we get ourselves into this time?" Hannah murmured. When Mr. Barrington brings his trunk on a field trip to Goliad, Hannah, Jackie, and Nick find themselves back in the Texas Revolution. It’s 1836, just weeks before Colonel James Fannin and General José de Urrea face off at the Battle of Coleto and Santa Anna orders the execution of all prisoners. Are Nick and his new friend Benjamin Hughes being watched by a spy? Will the girls succeed in helping Francita Alavez, the Angel of Goliad, rescue Fannin’s men?

Nick is on a mission. Deeply troubled by the loss of a young friend at the Battle of San Jacinto, he wants desperately to return to the scene of the battle—to alter history. But when he furtively...

Winner of the 2008 Western Heritage Award, Juvenile Books

“Hannah stared a second time at the crumbling fossil of a building before her. Her eyes opened wide. This was the same building as the wooden figure Nick had taken from her. This building was the...