Emma is spending the summer with her Scottish cousins—who are wonderful material for her attempt to win the School Prize for most interesting holiday diary. The cousins, lofty Andy, reserved Fiona, and fierce Roddy, are experimenting with their grandfather's dilapidated old mini-submarine to see if they can find a monster in the family loch.
Emma Tupper's Diary is a sometimes terrifying, sometimes broadly hilarious adventure novel in the spirit of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and I Capture the Castle.
Praise for Emma Tupper's Diary:
"Fish out of water Emma must spend the summer in Scotland with cousins she's never met. They're somewhat older and get along fine with minimal adult supervision. Even when they plot to take an old submarine out on the nearby loch for a spin, adding a Nessy-like monster head to the top for fun, there's no one around to urge caution. It's the sort of family where everyone is whip-smart, conversations are fast and fascinating, and statements of fact are rarely truthful. All of which makes for one extremely suspenseful and surprisingly thought-provoking adventure."—Gwenyth Swain (author of Chig and the Second Spread)
"One of my favorite childhood books. . . . Its themes and plot have come around again, and a smart production company should scoop it up for a film adaptation."—Atomic Librarian
"An enthralling book, with fascinating characters, told with humor and wit, and with a story that just might, barely, be possible."—Book Loons
"Comedy of manners? Ecological allegory? Adventure? Farce?"—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Peter Dickinson's children's books:
"One of the real masters of children's literature."—Philip Pullman
"Peter Dickinson is a national treasure."—The Guardian
"Magnificent. Peter Dickinson is the past-master story-teller of our day."—The Times Literary Supplement
Peter Dickinson is the author of over fifty books including Eva, Earth and Air, The Dancing Bear, and the Michael L. Printz honor book The Ropemaker. He has twice received the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger as well as the Guardian Award and Whitbread Prize. He lives in England and is married to the novelist Robin McKinley.