When Trip and his best friend, Sam find a mysterious silver coin in the weed-infested grounds of an old, abandoned South Carolina plantation, they are fascinated by the strange symbols and words engraved on its surface. Where did it come from? How did it get there? What does it mean? Soon after they recruit their friend, Emily, to help them answer those questions, the three friends are thrust into a series of adventures that takes them back in time. A magic well, pirates, hidden treasure, a gigantic talking hawk and survival on a remote island in the South Carolina Lowcountry are just a few of the things they face as they try to solve the Mystery of the 13th coin.

NOTE: The Mystery of the 13th Coin was written in the laboratory setting of an elementary school classroom. Each week the author met with the students of Ms. Hopkins' second grade class to read the latest installment of her tale. The students were encouraged to discuss the development of the story and share ideas as to how the story might progress. No idea was too silly or far-fetched to be heard. What resulted was not just the crafting of an exciting story, but the nurturing of the idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, whether it is writing books or pursuing another endeavor.