The Dark Hills Divide
The Dark Hills Divide is a (2005) children's fantasy and mystery novel by Patrick Carman. It is the first book in The Land of Elyon series, which focuses on the adventures of Alexa Daley, who is the daughter of Mr. Daley, the mayor of fictional Lathbury. Summary 12-year-old Alexa Daley is spending another summer in Bridewell with her father, the Mayor of Lathbury. The book starts by Alexa going on a walk through the streets of Bridewell with her adventurer friend Thomas Warvold. During the stroll, Warvold tells Alexa a fable that he heard on one of his far-off journeys. When the fable is finished, Alexa finds that Warvold is dead. The following chapter turns to an event that happened before Warvold's death. Alexa and her father, James Daley, are on the road to Bridewell from their hometown of Lathbury. During the ride, Alexa insists that the story of the walls that surround Bridewell and the cities around it be told to her. The story is of an orphan named Thomas Warvold who wandered off from his hometown on his thirteenth birthday. For years, no one knew or cared where he'd gone. After twenty years, he eventually persuaded others to