Elen Caldecott’s second novel for children began as an image in her imagination: a brown bear sitting on a chinz sofa. This was not the fluffy, cuddly, tea-party kind of bear, but a real grizzly with sharp claws, sitting in the middle of a real living room. The image wouldn’t go away, and so she set out to explain how the bear got there.

How Ali Ferguson Saved Houdini is the answer to that conundrum.

‘Hush!’ Gez held his finger up to his lips. ‘Not here. Not out in the open. Come on, follow me. I’ll tell you everything I know.’

Ali has just moved into Lever Tower – he and Mum are starting a new life. But there are secrets on the estate; there are strange goings-on at night. Not only have the foxes disappeared, but one of the neighbours has vanished too. When Mum gets caught up in the mystery, Ali has to wonder – just what are the bad guys prepared do to keep their secrets safe?

Elen’s first novel How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant was a Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones’ Children Book Prize and longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Ali-Ferguson-Saved-Houdini/dp/140880574X/ref...