The Windsor Caper - Softcover

Two American Girls, Alysa and Julie, visit England's Windsor Castle hoping to see Queen Mary's famous Doll House. But the day turns into a much bigger adventure than that; caught in a thunderstorm they find themselves locked in for the night! Taking refuge in the Queen's Bedchamber they learn that strange things can happen after dark; they meet some famous and not-so-famous characters from English History, including some terrifying beasties who are not supposed to come to life. And as if that's not they find themselves pitted in a battle of wits with a couple of ruthless art thieves who have the run of teh Castle's secret passages and doorways.

Gerda is a powerful campaigner for tolerance and human rights. Born in Poland, from age 15 she suffered six years under the Nazis, first confi ned to the basement of her home, then in the local ghetto, followed by a series of slave labor camps. This culminated in a 350-mile forced march in the winter of 1945. Of the more than 2,000 women who began the Death March, fewer than 120 survived. She was eventually liberated by a US Army offi cer, Kurt Klein – himself a refugee from Germany – who later became her husband. She is the subject of One Survivor Remembers, an intensely moving fi lm that received an Academy Award for best documentary. A powerful writer, her first book All But My Life, published in 1957 and now in its 69th US edition, is an inspiring testament to hope, friendship and love. Gerda is still writing at age 91; her published books range from a biography of a Southern philanthropist who played a key role in combating racial discrimination in the 1960s, to books that help children engage and empathize with autism and other developmental disabilities. Gerda is a charismatic public speaker who has delivered her messages across the US and much of the world, focusing not on the horrors she experienced but, rather, on the uplifting dimensions of the human spirit. As examples of her humanitarian work, she and her late husband were invited to help children and families of Columbine High School after the tragedy there. President Bill Clinton appointed her to the governing board of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. In 2008 she founded Citizenship Counts, which promotes education for tolerance, engaged citizenship and community service. President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor. Gerda has always had a passion for English history – fi rst aroused when, as a young girl, she read about her contemporary, Princess Elizabeth. Her interest was further deepened by a lifetime of immersion in the history of the monarchy and her gratitude for England’s actions during World War Two. In the 1980s she wrote The Windsor Caper in more than 60 weekly episodes as a serial in a Buffalo, New York newspaper. The story has never been published since, but remains one of her proudest achievements. Delightful, gentle and magical, it demonstrates her talents as a writer and her love for, and empathy with, children. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerda_Weissmann_Klein.