Bigfoot, Tobin & Me

After her mother's death, a distraught Lemonade Liberty Witt is sent to live with her grandfather in the rural backwater of Willow Creek. And after the thriving metropolitan bustle of San Francisco she finds her new, reduced circumstances somewhat difficult to adjust to. Befriended by the annoying and quirky Tobin, founder of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., Lemonade (Lem) is quickly recruited to his one-man (one-boy!) Bigfoot investigating operation. She soon realises that Tobin is utterly obsessed with finding the legendary beast and although sceptical she finds herself becoming Tobin's indispensable assistant. After several wrong leads, hoax calls and suspicious daily sightings they soon find themselves on the trail on something big - could it really be Bigfoot? As Lem starts to adapt to her new circumstances, bonds form with her new 'family' - Tobin, her grandfather, the kindly Mrs Dickerson and the well-meaning and warm-hearted residents of Willow Creek. Torn between her city life and her new rural idyll, Lem has some difficult decisions to make. This is a lovely, big-hearted read. It explores some familiar themes of family, love and loss but in an entirely original package. Lem is a sassy lead character and Tobin provides an engagingly innocent foil for her streetwise nature. A charming and poignant blend of mystery, humour and adventure. 310 Pages / Ages 9+ / Reviewed by Clare Wilkins, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 9+