Magic's Key

Twelve-year-old Alexandra Gilliam takes her promises seriously, partly because her five younger siblings look to her as an example. When a magical key offers each child a single wish, they have read enough to know what they truly want. Their requests range from the open sea to the surface of the moon.

Alexandra asks for something more ambitious: the ability to perform magic herself. She makes a deal with the key. It will teach her all it knows, and in return she must keep the lessons from everyone she loves. Magic proves slow to learn, and the key stays only as long as wishes remain to be granted. Meanwhile, her family begins to suspect she is hiding something.

Over nine intense days, Alexandra is pushed to her limits as she tries to become the person she has always wanted to be without losing the person she already is. She has never told a lie, but she is willing to pay that price for magic, even if it costs her the trust of the people she cares about most.