Paper Trails

When an eleven-year-old genius and her washed-up magician father venture into the New Zealand wilderness to hunt a legendary panther, they discover that the most elusive creatures aren't always the ones with claws. Mildred is not your average eleven-year-old. She'd rather study topographical maps than TikTok, quotes Charles Dickens instead of pop stars, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything except how to fit in at school.
When her mother falls into a coma after a freak toaster accident, Mildred's carefully ordered world collapses-until her estranged father appears on the doorstep. Strawn Wise is a failed American illusionist whose TV show was cancelled halfway through its first season. He wears platform boots, performs card tricks that don't work, and knows absolutely nothing about being a parent. But when Mildred reveals her plan to capture video proof of the mysterious Canterbury Panther and claim the $50, 000 reward to save her mother from crushing debt, Strawn makes a desperate promise: he'll take her camping to find it.
What follows is an adventure neither of them is prepared for-a journey into one of Earth's last untamed wildernesses where danger lurks in the shadows, where a child's precocious vocabulary can't protect her from real fear, and where a man who's spent his life creating illusions must finally face something real. Paper Trails is a bittersweet comedy about family, failure, and finding connection in the most unlikely places.
It's about a girl who talks like an Oxford professor but just wants her mum back, and a father learning that sometimes the greatest magic trick is simply showing up. Perfect for fans of quirky family adventures and anyone who's ever felt like they don't quite belong.