ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Blossom family has an especially eventful weekend during which Junior Blossom loses the school hamster and Pap's dog Mud is put on trial for the hamster's murder!

An ALA Notable Children's Book, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Writers Award, A Child Study Children's Book Committee: Children's Book of the Year, A Junior Literary Guild Selection.


REVIEWS

"Byars captures the conflict and tension of courtroom drama, the ups and downs of personal relationships, and the rewards of lasting friendships."--School Library Journal, starred review.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Betsy Byars, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, received a degree in English from Queens College there. Currently, she lives in Clemson, SC with her husband, a college professor. They have four grown children--one son and three daughters--and five grandchildren. "My own hobbies," Byars says, "are rather quiet. I like to read and do needlework, and I love animals. But my husband has some very interesting hobbies, and through him, I've learned to fly and earned my pilot's license. Together, we fly all over the United States. Since our children are all grown now, we also travel a great deal in Europe, but we take commercial flights because our plane is not really equipped to make transatlantic flights."


AWARDS

NOMINEE 1994 - Texas Bluebonnet Award Winner
NOMINEE 1997 - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
WINNER 1992 - Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Novel