It's The West Wing meets Nancy Drew: a mystery set in the U.S. Capitol that also serves as an introduction to how the U.S. government works. Or doesn't.

Legend has it that anyone who sees the Demon Cat of Capitol Hill will be cursed with bad luck. 10-year-old Fina Mendoza just saw it and the last thing her family needs right now is more bad luck.

Fina and her older sister Gabby just moved to Washington, D.C. to live fulltime with Papa, a congressman from California. Fina loves spending time with Papa, even though he's always on the phone. But after Fina encounters a mysterious cat, disasters follow. Jars of spagetti sauce explode. Her beloved Abuelita breaks her leg. And Fina's only friend in Washington, a congressional dog named Senator Something, becomes the next target.

The only way for Fina to save her family from future "cat"astrophe is to solve the mystery of the Demon Cat of Capitol Hill.

This is book one in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series.

A free downloadable coloring page is available at the website www.finamendozamysteries.com.

There is also a 32 page Teacher's Guide to Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza available with Information about Congress and citizenship, quizzes, math problems, research projects, fun facts, recipes, and a coloring page.