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A Simple Case of Angels
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A Simple Case of Angels

Written by Caroline Adderson

  • 176 Pages
  • 9781554987573
  • from grade 3 to grade 6
  • JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dogs
  • JUVENILE FICTION / Family / General (see also headings under Social Situations)
  • JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic
  • JUVENILE FICTION

$9.95

PRINT VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE

Publication Date August 25, 2014

Nicola’s adorable little dog, June Bug, keeps getting into trouble. She steals the neighbor’s turkey, yanks down the Christmas tree and destroys Mum’s almost-finished giant crossword. Everyone is mad, and it looks as though June Bug’s days are numbered.

Will doing a good deed make up for June Bug’s bad behavior?

Nicola certainly hopes so. And when she and June Bug come across a new nursing home in the neighborhood, it feels like a Sign. They volunteer to become regular visitors at Shady Oaks, certain that June Bug’s cute tricks will cheer up the elderly residents.

In fact, they could all use some cheering up. It’s the holiday, and yet everyone seems to be cranky and off balance. Nobody has put up any lights, Nicola’s grade five teacher is inexplicably crabby, and Nicola’s big brother Jared stays holed up in front of the computer playing Inferno 2, eagerly sending winged creatures into a fiery abyss. Even Nicola is not herself, and when a new girl, Lindsay, tries to be her friend, Nicola finds herself being uncharacteristically mean, because Lindsay seems to be one of those hair-and-jewelry girls who wants her own subscription to Bride magazine for Christmas.

But Nicola’s mother won’t let her visit Shady Oaks by herself, so when Lindsay offers to go with her, Nicola agrees. And the girls discover that something unusual is going on at the home, where it seems that a few of the more remarkable patients are being kept against their will. Freeing them will bring out the very best in Nicola, and especially in June Bug.

Contributors

Caroline Adderson
Caroline Adderson is the author of award-winning books for adults and young readers. She has been nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, two Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, the Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award and the Rogers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Her children’s books include Jasper John Dooley, Left Behind (named a Best Children’s Book of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews), the picture book Norman, Speak! and her middle-grade novel, Middle of Nowhere, which won the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize and was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award. www.carolineadderson.com

Reviews

"Though paranormal explanations are only gently hinted at, the angelic twist at the conclusion is satisfyingly appropriate and more about human goodness than evangelizing—entirely in keeping with the book." Kirkus Reviews

"Based on a highly original concept, A Simple Case of Angels presents sympathetic characters." CM Magazine

"Versatile author Caroline Adderson astutely captures the range of emotions and perspectives of young adolescents as they awaken to a grown-up world." Quill & Quire