Apparently this book is about to be reprinted, and I say, great!

Emma Tupper of Botswana goes to spend the summer in Scotland with her bizarre, hilarious, cantankerous, feuding cousins and writes about it in her journal. They launch a plan to create a Loch Ness hoax involving an ancient submarine in order to make some money to keep the family going. This leads to a fascinating discovery when the feud goes too far. Old fashion feel, a la Penderwicks or Swallows and Amazons, but with a timely environmental message that I think really resonates with kids of today.

My copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

While spending the summer with her eccentric scottish cousins, 14-year-old Emma Tupper suggests that they invent a monster for the loch. With the help of her great-grandfather's submarine they do just that, and the tv men are eager to come report on it. The only trouble is that Emma realizes at the last minute that the loch is hiding a secret and she wants to protect it from them.

This is a charming and slightly madcap fantasy. The story and action move quickly, and the language is rich. There are interesting sub-themes about family dynamics, the importance of names, and dealing with fear. It also has a strong environmental message, almost over-poweringly strong at times as it is presented (mostly) through the mouth of a teenager.

I have no idea why I never read any Peter Dickinson as a child, but I very much enjoyed this book as an adult while reading it aloud to my own child. ( )