The Adventures of Holly Hobbie

Not a trace is found of celebrated arcaeologist Melville Dutton, who mysteriously vanished in the trackless jungles of Central America. His quest--the greatest of Maya ruins--the lost Jaguar City. Hope for the survival of the charismatic explorer is eventually abandoned. Only his daughter, Liz, tormented by a recurring nightmare, steadfastly believes that her father is alive. On a snowy Thanksgiving in her grandparents' New England farmhouse, Liz is entranced by a portrait of her ancestor--a breathtakingly beautiful teen-age girl. The haunting picture, painted in 1803, seems to glow with an indefinable magic. Flames dance wildly in the old stone fireplace... heatwaves shimmer... definition is obscurred... then---Holly Hobbie. Is this intelligent, graceful young girl in colonial dress another of Liz's dreams? Or the portrait come to life? The author takes us along with Holly and Liz on a fascinating odyssey triggered by scattered clues--the snarling jaguar pendant, Dutton's last jungle diaries, cryptic Maya inscriptions--all crucial in linking their destiny with that of Mel Dutton. --Excerpt of book jacket description.