Bee drifts through life in her stripy socks with her head somewhere up in the clouds, doing her level best to stay out of the way of her constantly bickering parents and dodge bendy tap-dancing Crystal Kelly, who makes her life an absolute misery. ‘Just call me Bee. Please, please call me that. If you call me Beatrix Daffodil Tulip Chrysanthemum Rose Edwards I shan’t answer you. I am not being rude or unfriendly, or insolent as Mrs Dixon my teacher calls me. I just don’t like my name. Well, would you?’ When Crystal double-dares her to sign up for a sponsored swim in memory of her great grandmother Beatrix, Bee can’t possibly back down – even though she’s terrified of water and can’t swim a stroke. Then new boy Moon-Star gallops in on his horse to the rescue, taking her to meet Old Alice, a Traveller who lives in a beautifully painted wagon. Entering this new world changes Bee’s life forever, and at last she has an ally. Down by the promise tree, the two of them strike a bargain: Moon-Star will teach Bee to swim if she’ll teach him to read. They spit on their hands, shake on it, and a beautiful friendship begins. ‘Fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Elen Caldecott will like this real-world drama … Warm and dreamy with just the right amount of quirk for young readers to identify with if they feel like outsiders.’ Booktrust
ISBN 13: 9781444927757
Author: Jane Elson
