Rooftoppers

Sophie is a young girl discovered in a cello case floating in the English Channel after a shipwreck. Raised in London by an eccentric scholar named Charles, she remains convinced her mother survived the disaster despite official reports. After finding a hidden address in her mother's old sheet music, Sophie and Charles flee to Paris to escape child services. There, she meets Matteo, a boy who lives on the city's steep roofs. Together, they navigate the gutters and chimney pots of the skyline, evading the police while searching for clues that lead Sophie toward her mother's orchestra.

Middle-grade readers and young adults who enjoy historical fiction mixed with atmospheric adventure will find this story useful. It provides a detailed look at the architecture of early twentieth-century Paris from an aerial perspective. Readers see the value of unconventional families and the importance of stubborn belief in the face of skepticism. The narrative offers a specific lesson on persistence, showing how logic and imagination can work together to solve a mystery when adult authorities refuse to help.