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Maureen Bartone and her husband live in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. They have two daughters, one son, and two grandsons. She is currently working on an adult fiction novel.
Her favorite things are: family, home, music, reading and writing, dancing, and laughing, but especially being a wife, a mother, and grandmother.
Reading a great story is a gift, and Maureen is committed to spreading the word to parents and their children about the wonders, the magic, and the importance of reading.
Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
Tilly’s Top Secret Trapdoor by Maureen Bartone is a children’s story. Tilly is not the happiest child in the world and, whenever she can, she hides away from the world under her bed. Here, she can imagine that she is the most popular child in the world, and she can make up stories to her heart's content. One night, when her homework is done, Tilly climbs under her bed, ready to settle down and make up a new story. But she finds something she knows wasn’t there before – a trapdoor. She opens it and, looking in, she sees a place full of magic and mystery, a place that is calling to her. Off she goes, down the trapdoor into a world of magic, fun and sweets. Here she meets new people, makes new friends, and off they go on an adventure to explore this wonderful world. When night falls, it is a different story, a different world, and they all decide it's time to go home – they don’t really want to be here now. But the journey home is fraught with danger. It will be a real test of willpower, courage and friendship if they are to make their way back to the safety of the place they once hated: home.
Tilly’s Top Secret Trapdoor by Maureen Bartone is an enchanting story, perfectly written for the audience it is aimed at. Ms. Bartone has filled it with wonderfully colorful characters and a storyline that will capture any heart. The story is written in a way that makes it easy to understand and follow, and it tells a tale of courage, of popularity, and of friendship – real friendship. The characters were really well developed and I found the story so entertaining that I really didn’t want to put it down. I feel that this is a book readers will want to enjoy over and over again, a timeless story that will never lose its edge.
