The boxy, spiky monkey puzzle tree stands tall and imposing outside the dormitory window of Woodmaston House For Girls, a forbidding guardian to the school's young charges. Nancy Cameron is a new arrival, not just to Woodmaston but to England. She's rolled up from the backwoods of Canada, eager for a new life brimming with adventure. But boarding school isn't the Famous Five fantasy that Nancy had imagined. It is an austere, loveless world where budding relationships are soon put to the test. Nancy wins friends and finds solace by telling stories, but spinning stories for others can't hide the fact that Nancy feels horribly alone inside. And when she leads her dorm in a special fund-raising event that goes tragically wrong, things go from bad to worse. Nancy longs to meet the glamorous brother of her friend, Caroline, and as her troubles build it's an encounter that can't come soon enough - until a shocking revelation comes to light...

About the Author

Canadian-born Karen Wallace is the author of over 70 books for children, including the award-winning non-fiction title THINK OF AN EEL & RASPBERRIES ON THE YANGTZE. She was born in the backwoods of Quebec and spent her childhood messing about on the river. She now lives in Herefordshire, with her husband, two sons and a large cat called Cougar.