The Moon Key (Paperback or Softback)

The abandoned baby was wrapped in a hotel towel with a Wendy's napkin attached. "Please take care of her. We'll be back," the napkin said. Thus was christened Wendy Hilton. Thirteen years she's spent waiting for her parents to return. Today, Wendy's done waiting. She's about to become her own heroine. For around her neck is...

The Moon Key.

Small and silver, Wendy's only memento of her parents is a crescent-shaped pendant that opens the door to a new world - a magical world. Soon Wendy will be swimming with the sea lions at the Central Park Zoo and lighting the torch on the Statue of Liberty, all due to her newfound magical talents. But Wendy's powers come with a cost. She's being tested for some reason, and she doesn't know why. Are her parents involved? Will her foster brothers survive? Wendy wants to be a heroine, but first she must learn the true meaning of courage - and the sacrifices we make to protect the people we love.

JR Stampfl believes that the world is filled with magic. As a child, she read every fairy tale that she could get her hands on from the library. She named her children after her two favorite characters in Peter Pan. After a career in television as a producer and writer, JR Stampfl found herself compelled to write down the magical story that appeared in her head one day. Thus THE MOON KEY came to be. MOON DANCE is the second phase of this adventure.

JR Stampfl grew up in the Midwest. She attended Northwestern University as an undergraduate and Harvard Graduate School of Education. After visiting New York City as a Fifth Grader, JR knew that the magic of Manhattan was for her. She moved to New York and began a career in network television. She was a producer and writer in daytime drama and created TV magic. She was nominated for an Emmy and Writer's Guild Award.

But, her real love was always children. So, after an extended career in television, JR began to write stories for children. She set the stories in her favorite place, New York City. And, she used the inspiration of the moon to guide her characters through their adventures and transformations.

THE MOON KEY and MOON DANCE are stories that show that real magic is everywhere.