Wauseon, Ohio, is a real town with a real public library and a real creepy historical museum that was once a creepy school before becoming a creepy hospital and then a creepy apartment building. In seventh grade, I also did a real outdoor education day at our superintendent’s farm and woods, where we learned about science, nature, and local history. Tiny’s Dairy Barn, Sullivan’s, and the Barn are all real places as well.
Alas, neither the Hoäl mansion nor the missing jewels are real, though the mansion was based on a real mansion in town with real secret compartments. Unfortunately, it was torn down a long time before I was born, which annoyed me greatly as a child. I was certain there had to have been treasure hidden in there somewhere, if only I’d gotten the chance to look for it!
All of the characters in this book are fictional, though Mr. Roth was named after my sixth-grade teacher and Mrs. Lemons after my next-door neighbor. However, at various points in my life, I’ve certainly felt like both a Sloane and an Amelia. (And we have all tangled with a Mackenzie at some time or another!)