After the tragic loss of their sister, Zack and his siblings band together to investigate a Morse Code-inspired mystery in this stunning novel about grief and resilience. 

When Zack’s younger sister dies in a tragic accident, his family moves to a small town in the Northwest to try and heal from all the pain. Eleven-year-old Zack blames himself for his sister’s death, and he struggles to find any comfort in his new surroundings. Vista Point is home to many mysterious landmarks: The great domed Tower casts inscrutable shadows, and what is the cryptic message in its ceiling medallion? There are several hidden watering holes and even a secret cave in the woods with messages written on its walls. Zack, at first, feels lost in Vista Point. Until he meets Ann, a girl who lives in the area and shows Zack all the special places to be discovered. But there’s something that seems a bit strange about Ann—and perhaps a secret she is keeping from him.

With emotional depth, an unforgettable setting, and a winning cast of characters, this masterful novel thoughtfully explores the grieving process, and how a season of pain can evolve into a summer of healing.

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book? 

Over many years and on several occasions, I’ve been fortunate to visit a spectacular overlook—not merely charming but, I feel, charmed—high above the Columbia River on the Oregon border. The spot is called Crown Point, and aside from the wondrous views in three directions, it’s notable for a four-story stone tower that commands the bluff like some distant outpost in a Wes Anderson film. Known as Vista House, the gray-skinned and green-capped stone building—constructed as a rest-stop—remains as lovely today as it was when it was dedicated back in 1918. Crown Point draws plenty of sightseers, particularly during the warmer months; but on one trek I made there several years ago in mid-winter, I was granted the gift of complete solitude. Not a soul was in sight, and the tower itself, a museum now, was closed. Beneath a snow-cloud sky and surrounded by silence, a strange thought came to me, possibly because the place felt so shrouded in isolation: what if this beautiful building, for some reason, became abandoned? I took that image away with me, kept picturing the tower dilapidated and forlorn—and then, somehow, redeemed. I began imagining a loving family, maybe, purchasing the property and then restoring the building. And what if that family had itself suffered some tragedy, was itself in need of redemption? And what if one night, the children in that family stood beside the tower and noticed mysterious lights flashing far across the river? Those images were the heart of what became The Einsteins of Vista Point.

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel? 

The novel definitely came first. A decent title didn’t really come to me until I was a few months into drafting the story. In fact, when I look back at some of the notes I took while working on the book, I find the list of titles I entertained in succession—as follows: A View from Grand Vista (I think I was calling the location of the story “Grand Vista” at the outset, rather than “Vista Point,” which is what I finally settled on); West of the Moon (I liked this one, but it had already been used); The Moon at Grand Vista (I can’t recall why I became interested in using the word “Moon” in my title, but for some reason I kept trying it out); The Vista Point Einsteins (this was actually the “working title” of the book for a long time, and I really the way the words flowed in this formulation); The Einstein Five at Vista Point (this one sounded kind of interesting and punchy to me for a while, but then it started to sound something like a super-hero movie for preschoolers, and I abandoned it). There were a few others! I’ll refrain from sharing them, though, because they really don’t sound all that delightful to me anymore.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book? 

I love the sense of expectation and enigma apparent in Vivienne To’s lovely illustration. It’s very clear the four Einstein kids are on the verge of discovering something, and the depiction of them heading toward the abandoned stone building on the edge of their family’s property conveys just the right mix of suspense and uncertainty. Plus, I love the bluish shading of the night sky above—something about certain gradations of indigo or deep blue seem very evocative to me, and I like how Vivienne’s illustration expands into that richness.

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved? 

I recently reread Colin Meloy’s The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid and found I enjoyed it even a bit more than when I first encountered it four or five years ago. This humorous and intelligent book—about a diplomat’s son who befriends a troupe of young pickpockets in early-‘60s Marseilles—comes from a writer who cares as much about the rhythm of his sentences as he does the arc of his story. Full of surprises (including one that walloped me as much as it does the main character), this novel navigates a shadowy and unexpected world where young teens talk like seasoned criminals, and friendship itself is a risky proposition. It’s a pleasure to read.

YABC: What’s up next for you? 

My next book, which should come out during the summer of 2023, will be called The Hidden Workshop of Javier Preston. It’s about a twin boy and girl who move to a town in the state of Georgia with their parents and end up involved in a mystery about a reclusive artist and a secret code that might open a safe with valuable items inside. After that, I’ll have a two-book series coming out across ’24 and ’25. The first book is tentatively called The Number Nine Plaza. The second book doesn’t yet have a title, but the series overall will feature an eleven-year-old boy named Herbert Olinga who is determined to save his grandmother’s nineteen-story out-of-this-world department store from an unknown adversary. There’s a chance the “Number Nine” books might come out before the Javier Preston one, but I don’t know for certain the order of things just yet!

YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book? 

I’m not that big on attempting to convey messages in my books and really just hope readers enjoy the story—though, definitely, I’d like it if readers felt there was something a little bit deeper going on in the pages than just action or fun or one incident after the next. There is a moment or two in The Einsteins of Vista Point where the phrase “Make sure the good survives” comes up, so perhaps if there is something a reader might take away from the story that could be called a “message,” that might be it. “Make sure the good survives.”

YABC: What would you say is your superpower? 

I am seriously very proficient at napping, and that is something that rejuvenates me during the day. But I suppose sleeping doesn’t really qualify as a superpower! So, beyond napping, I think my superpower is I like to remain very disciplined about my writing and stick with it day after day, with—I hope—order and focus.

YABC: What advice do you have for new writers? 

My advice would be: If you really love to write, always remain focused on the writing itself rather than the fruits of your efforts.  Any degree of financial reward or public attention—or even publication itself—is outside of your control, so if your happiness and self-worth is based on the external rewards, you could be setting yourself up for dissatisfaction; stay devoted to the pleasure of putting words together and telling good stories. I’ve always loved to read and I’ve always loved to write—I’m sure I would have kept writing for the rest of my life even if I’d never been fortunate enough to have anything published.