David’s Secret Room

By Ana Isabel Pedro-Courtney

In David’s Secret Room, join David and his loyal friend Tobias as they embark on a quest to find their vanished parents. Along the way, unexpected alliances form and mysteries unravel. But nothing prepares them for the revelation that their own teacher, Ms. Edith, harbors a profound secret. Dive into a tale of adventure, friendship, and hidden truths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Feb 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798886938555

Ana Isabel Pedro-Courtney

Ana Isabel Pedro-Courtney was born in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal and emigrated to America at the age of six. She is the proud mother of three amazing boys and happily married for 23 years. This is her first book to be published, fulfilling her lifelong dream to pursue writing.

Book preview

About the Author

Ana Isabel Pedro-Courtney was born in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal and emigrated to America at the age of six. She is the proud mother of three amazing boys and happily married for 23 years. This is her first book to be published, fulfilling her lifelong dream to pursue writing.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my three wonderful sons, Tristan, Nathaniel, and Carter who share my love of books and to my husband who has encouraged me to pursue my dream.

Copyright Information ©

Ana Isabel Pedro-Courtney 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Pedro-Courtney, Ana Isabel

David’s Secret Room

ISBN 9798886938548 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798886938555 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023920498

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

Thank you to Catherine Bialkowski for reading and editing my book.

Chapter 1

Ms. Edith

Ms. Edith is busily reviewing last night’s homework with her class. At first glance, she might come across as intimidating, maybe even a little harsh, but she is genuinely a kind, sweet teacher. She always wears her curly red hair in a bun and her big expressive eyes match her kind smile. Ms. Edith tends to wear her favorite sweater almost every day, no matter what the weather is, which her students find endearing. The class is listening intently to Ms. Edith’s explanations and correct answers as she reviews each problem from last night’s math homework. Please be sure to use your red pencil to mark any corrections on the math worksheet. Ms. Edith instructs the class. She’s very particular about how things are done in her class. She likes things orderly. David genuinely enjoys her class and she is by far his favorite teacher. David admires that she takes the time to get to know each and every one of her students. David happily follows along, placing red checkmarks next to his correct answers. David has really become very good at math, thanks to his book of math explaining the math concepts he’s had to learn thus far. David is grateful for all his books!

The class is beginning to get restless. Bobby and Drew begin clowning around trying to distract the class. They enjoy doing that most days. Casey had been called up to the board to show the class how she solved for the correct answer to the last math problem before their interruption. Casey is kind, quiet and possibly the smartest in the class. She mostly keeps to herself. David likes her but hasn’t taken the time to get to know her better. He can be a little shy at times. Casey lives around the corner from him. David spends most of his time at home with his books, and when he isn’t with his books, he’s enjoying the company of his best friend, Tobias. Ms. Edith is now reprimanding Bobby. One more outburst and I’m going to send you to the principal’s office. she calmly says as she walks over toward his desk. Bobby spends a lot of time in the principal’s office. Just another typical day in the life of this fourth-grade class. As Casey walks back to her seat, she gives Bobby a stern look as she walks past him, annoyed, he interrupted her time at the board. Bobby doesn’t care; however, he thrives on annoying people.

Casey has blonde, straight hair, beautiful hazel eyes and a sweet shy smile that can warm up a room. She is mature for her age and her favorite pastime is curling up with a good book. She doesn’t seem to have much in common with many of the girls in their class. So, she spends most of her time alone. Sometimes, David can’t help but overhear his classmate’s exuberant, daily conversations about the latest trendy celebrity crush, or some new media trend they’re all gaga about. Like Casey, he keeps to himself mostly, and like Casey, he doesn’t have siblings which might have something to do with their tendency to keep to themselves. Sometimes, he enjoys being an only child, and other times he wishes he had the company of a brother or sister. His parents dote on him all the time, so it would be nice to have someone else for them to divert some of their attention to. But alas! It’s just him. Well, not to be overlooked, he has his cat Millie, who’s a handful herself. His parents say so all the time.

The bell rings, announcing recess time has come! Ms. Edith quickly shouts out a homework assignment to the class. David hurriedly jots it down in his planner, packs his books into the desk, and is ready to go. The class bolts out of the door, into the hallway and races out into the fresh air and the loud freedom of recess commences. David walks over to his usual spot, sitting at one of the picnic tables and waits for Tobias. Tobias is slim and muscular with a thick brown head of hair and a bright friendly smile. He is very coordinated and strong for his stature.

He always takes the time to say hello to everyone and his kindness is contagious. Tobias is very outgoing, whereas David likes to keep to himself. Tobias has two younger siblings and a huge mutt, named Rufus, his family adopted from the local shelter, who always follows him around. Rufus would follow him to school if Tobias let him.

Hi David, want to eat lunch first or play basketball for a bit? Tobias asks. Bobby and Drew are in rare form today, David thought. So, David showed no interest in joining their game. They had a habit of turning any game they played into a full-blown debacle. It seemed someone would always get hurt