PENDLETON — Imagine as a teenager you are exploring an island that only you, your brother and your cousin know about. And imagine that the island conceals an even better secret: a cave that leads under the river and connects to a series of tunnels first created in the 1800s underneath the town’s Main Street businesses. “Under Emmie’s Island,” the newest novel by Pendleton author Peg Willis, is a young adult adventure featuring secrets, nefarious doings by foreign agents, and the role of faith in becoming a part of the greater world.

EmmaLea Malone, her brother Andy, and cousin Paul Tanner find a hidden island nestled along the river in their home town, and during their exploration find a cave beneath the surface. An old lava tube through the area’s basalt links the cave to the underground warren of tunnels built by Chinese laborers beneath Main Street buildings.

The teens, during their spelunking adventure, discover they are not the only ones using the tunnels, and they are drawn into a mystery linking the foundation of the city’s courthouse, a cadre of French stonemasons and a popular downtown store owner. Their curiosity and sense of justice expose them to danger, but open the door for redemption as well.

Though Willis never names the place where the story is set, it will be obvious to locals that she modeled her fictional city after her home town. And a lot of Willis is in this story too: her love of music and history, her sense of wonder and adventure, and her faith that God will work through us if we just ask him to.

Teens and adults alike will find a lot to love about this story and Willis’ characters. And who knows — there may be secret islands out there just waiting to be discovered.