When the Circus Comes to Town and Other Stories

Meet Tess, a thirteen-year-old who lands in a pickle in every one of these four related stories. Meet Cookie, the circus camel who spits something fierce; Old Man Dawson, the school vice principal who might be the Angel of Death?; and Heath, the boy across the lane. Set in the Village of Kaslo on the shores of Kootenay Lake, B. C., these stories, suitable for eleven to thirteen-year-old readers, follow the capers of Tess as she problem-solves her way through her predicaments, finding greater self-knowledge as she goes. Tess has no money but does have a business plan to change her lot in life. She deals with Hammy, the biggest bully in town; has a run-in with Mona Brown, Kaslo's First Princess; meets Beck, a university student enamoured with bats; and, finally, finds a special relationship with her childhood companion since kindergarten, Heath. And, as does her mother, she has an uncommon affinity for bears. Warm, moving, and frequently very funny, these stories are about being young, vibrant, and hopeful, but not always well-mannered.