One Piece at a Time

Twelve-year-old Nina is curious, smart and full of questions — especially about the strange, half-written notebook she finds hidden in a forgotten corner of an old bookshop. Inside are disturbing sketches, unfinished formulas and fragments of thought that seem to reach across time. The only clue? A cryptic signature: “M.” Drawn into the mystery, Nina begins to suspect that the notebook is more than just a dusty curiosity — it is the remnant of an unfinished experiment that may have once belonged to someone extraordinary. Inspired by her discoveries, she embarks on a quest to uncover the story behind the book. Her investigation takes her through abandoned buildings, coded letters and her own fears as she begins to feel the weight of the legacy left behind by its author: a girl not so different from herself who once dreamed of bringing stories — and ideas — to life. As Nina pieces together the fragments, she begins to reflect on what it means to be remembered, to create and to leave something behind. The deeper she digs, the more she understands that the real experiment is not about science or monsters… but about identity, memory and the courage to be truly seen. 

With subtle nods to the life and imagination of Mary Shelley, One Piece at a Time weaves mystery, literature and emotion into a powerful coming-of-age story about invention – not just of machines, but of the self.

In the Footsteps of the Great Classics is a fresh, clever and inventive middle-grade series, edited by Guido Sgardoli, that aims to introduce young readers to different narrative genres through the lens of classic authors’ childhoods. Not the original classics, but new stories by contemporary writers, inspired by real or imagined events in the early lives of classic authors like Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and Agatha Christie. Each volume mixes biography, fiction, and genre exploration — adventure, horror, sci-fi, and mystery — with a final section of writing games and activities.