• Age: 9 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8

Pet Tales follows eleven-year-old Penny as she struggles with ongoing social anxiety. She feels nervous around her classmates, making middle school especially challenging. The only time she truly feels like herself is when she’s volunteering at the local animal shelter. While tending to the rescue pets, she writes fanciful backstories for them, but never shares the tales with anyone—and never would.

But when her beloved safe haven is suddenly under threat of shutting down, she must come face-to-face with her fears to try to save it. Can her new friend Ada’s intrepid scheme of sharing Penny’s stories really work or will she be pushing her limits for nothing?

Heidi Tattrie Rushton's profile page

• Winner, Nova Writes Joyce Barkhouse Writing for Children prize