Walker Press ISBN 9781406385434 £6.99
Miranda is a 12 year old girl who is an A grade student. Her mother, Kat, is obsessed with Bigfoot and shoots off on spur of the moment expeditions to find him, taking her daughter with her. This means Miranda misses school, ruining her perfect school record which she needs if she is to go to a leadership conference in Washington DC. Miranda loses her friend. She finds her irresponsible mother an embarrassment and is so stressed that she pulls out strands of her own hair. After finding a stack of unpaid bills and a threat of eviction. Miranda decides to go on one last trip to show her mother that Bigfoot isn’t real, and that she should leave the fantasy behind and get a proper job. The trip does not go according to plan. There is excitement, danger and introspection as Miranda and her mother face up to a range of encounters, some of which blur the distinction between reality and magic. The book is well written and we are given a superb recreation of the emotions and internal struggles of a 12 year old girl who tries to be the adult to her own mother. Age range 11+
Brenda Marshall