Toby Carton and the Enchanted People

By Charles Foti

Toby Carton's father vanished when he was a tot and the entire neighborhood was overwhelmed with sadness, curiosity, and gossip. Mr. Carton was a quite lovable fellow. At age four, Toby and his mom moved in with Mildred Shumaker, a coworker of Harriet Carton's, who lived on 8 Lemon Drop Lane. The other seven trailers were the homes of the landlady and six other mysterious individuals who Toby was unable to set eyes on until he was eleven years old. On Valentine's Day, five months after Toby's 11th birthday, his mom vanished too. He tried to survive alone for a time, fearing being shipped off to the county orphanage, and only confiding in his two closest friends who were both members of the Three Skinny Musketeers trio. Together the children plot a scheme for Toby to keep his secret. He is living alone at the age of eleven.
Finally, in desperation, when the rent is soon due and his laundry has piled up, Toby finds a way to meet the landlady, Gladys Gigglestone, in number one Lemon Drop Lane. Known as Giggles to her community, she takes Toby under her wing and allows him to forgo the rent in lieu of chores. She even sends his laundry out with her own. Toby slowly meets the other residents of Lemon Drop Lane who have much in common. All are recluses over the age of 137 and each of them is a scientist or a widow of a physicist.
Gradually, this community of childless hermits not only adopt Toby in their hearts, but also become committed to finding both of his missing parents. The scientific community from London to Tipsil, New York, discover evidence that the Cartons were sucked into the same portal, sucked into another dimension in spacetime. With the aid of a special private investigator from their special world, the hermits of Lemon Drop Lane find a way to rescue Toby's parents and bring them home to the child. As the plot unfolds, Toby begins to realize each of the residents on his little lane is quite special. His school friends believe they are all witches and Toby eventually finds out each of his new elderly friends possesses unique, special powers. But they do not appreciate names like witches or wizards. They call themselves the "enchanted people" who must live in the shadows for their own safety. They help Toby confront the class bully and keep him well fed during the months that he lives alone on Lemon Drop Lane. They allow him to become privy to some of their secrets, but they also assure him his memories will fade by the age of thirteen. Toby's quest to rescue his parents culminates with the final return of one parent, while the other parent is still trapped in spacetime. This ending sets up book two in a planned series. The story is about a child's courage and determination to survive and the friendships he forges on Lemon Drop Lane.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09KFCPQS5
• ISBN13: 9798755024501
• Release Date: October 2021
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 148 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"