The Door by the Staircase

Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes can|t stand her orphanage for another night. But when an attempted escape through the stove pipe doesn|t go quite as well as she|d hoped, Mary fears she|ll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever. The very next day, a mysterious woman named Madame Z appears at the orphanage requesting to adopt Mary, and the matron|s all too happy to get the girl off her hands. Soon, Mary is fed a hearty meal, dressed in a clean, new nightgown and shown to a soft bed with blankets piled high. She can hardly believe she isn|t dreaming!But when Mary begins to explore the strange nearby town with the help of her new friend, Jacob, she learns a terrifying secret about Madame Z|s true identity. If Mary|s not careful, her new home might just turn into a nightmare.