• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

An aspiring yet practical author, Ellen Fremedon decides to start a newspaper. Ellen is intrepid, especially when it comes to investigative reporting. Is the new neighbor sinister, as village gossips suspect, or merely secretive? Is the Fremedon's new housekeeper really the upstanding community member she appears to be? Even members of Ellen's own family fall under suspicion.

Joan Givner was born in Manchester, England, in 1936. After studying at London University and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, she began teaching at the Unviersity of Regina in 1965; later she edited the Wascana Review. She has published biographies of Katherine Anne Porter (1982) and Mazo de la Roche (1989) and two collections of stories, most recently Scenes from Provincial Life (1991). "Elizabeth," a prize winner in the 1991 CBC Canadian Literary Awards, was published in a Joan Givner Special Issue of Room of One's Own in 1992.

Joan Givner's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Our Choice
• Long-listed, SYRCA Diamond Willow Award

...the story rollicks along, never predictable, comfortably old-fashioned in some ways, sometimes a spoof...Delightful.

Toronto Star

The story is unique and includes elements of mystery, comedy and serious fiction.

CM Magazine

[A] quick paced yarn about small-town happenings and her take on an appealing group of characters.

Brandon Sun