• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9

Clarissa tries to find her happily-ever-after in this clever, heartfelt follow-up to Love Is a Four-Letter Word!

One summer. That's all the time it takes to set your world spinning - or so Clarissa learns. Feeling abandoned by Mattie (camp), Benji (drama school), and even Michael (babysitting), Clarissa feels even more alone when her mother tells her she's marrying Doug. This announcement gets Clarissa thinking about her father, and her search for answers leads to her stumbling upon information about the secret teenage life of her mother, and more importantly, about Bill, her absentee father.

Things get complicated when she spots a man who looks a lot like Bill. Approaching him winds up revealing a whole world of surprises that threaten to shake her image of her mother forever.

Will Clarissa be able to move beyond the past and take part in Annie's vision of the future? Happily ever after has never seemed so impossible.

Vikki VanSickle
écrit des livres et des pièces de théâtre pour les enfants. Elle est
diplômée de théâtre de l'Université de Queens, et de littérature pour
enfants de l'Université de Colombie-Britannique. Elle possède une solide
expérience dans le domaine des camps de vacances : elle travaille dans les
camps organisés par le théâtre local, mais aussi comme conseillère et
directrice d'activités au Camp Rimp Rock de Virginie Occidentale. Elle a
participé à plusieurs comédies musicales, et elle a dirigé, en 2005, la
production de Crazy for You. Ses écrits ont été publiés dans
Chameleon, un magazine pour enfants.

VIKKI VANSICKLE is an award-winning author and a devoted member of the Canadian children’s book industry. Frequently referred to as “Canada’s Judy Blume,” she is the author of a number of acclaimed books, including the picture book Anonymouse and novels Words that Start with B, Summer Days, Starry Nights and the 2018 Red Maple Award winner The Winnowing. After obtaining an MA in Children’s Literature from UBC, Vikki’s career began in bookselling at The Flying Dragon Bookshop, which earned her the 2011 CBA Young Bookseller of the Year award. She is frequently called upon to speak about kids’ books as CTV Your Morning’s resident bookworm and as Lainey Gossip’s YA mentor! Vikki lives in Toronto. Visit her at https://vikkivansickle.com/.

Vikki VanSickle's profile page

• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre

Praise for Love Is a Four-Letter Word:

CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2012

"Humorous and poignant all at once." -Resource Links

"This book expertly portrays the emotional frenzy of early adolescence. This is a sweet and sensitive story that is perfect for any middle school or junior high aged girl." -Canadian Children's Book News

"Like Like Words That Start With B, Love Is a Four-Letter Word continues to provide an honest outlook of a pre-teen figuring out her relationships and the world around her." -CM Magazine

Praise for Words That Start With B:

Shortlisted, CBA Libris Awards - Young Reader Book of the Year, 2011
CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2011
Recommended, IODE Violet Downey Book Award, 2011

"A well-crafted and enjoyable first effort from a writer who is obviously tuned into the minds and emotions of young teens." -Quill & Quire

"Clarissa and Benji offer a fresh, honest look at life as an outsider, when you don't quite belong and don't quite know who you are. They're funny and relatable and exactly the kind of characters kids should be reading in today's It Gets Better age." -CBC Books

"A fresh and honest look at a girl's school year in that wonderful, horrible, confusing time known as Grade Seven." -Canadian Bookseller Magazine

"Words That Start With B is the story of how a feisty girl battles a year of surprises, if not with grace, then with a lot of humour." -Open Book Toronto