Tara Dow

Twelve-year-old Ben Brown runs away from the circus with his dog (and best friend) Sancho to seek out his missing father. He stumbles into the lives of young sisters Bab and Betty Moss who live with their mother in a quiet, tidy house. Ben's juggling skills, Sancho's trick of spelling his name with letter blocks, and the duo's other tricks of the trade charm the small family while Bab and Betty's whimsical antics and their mother's steady goodness...

Excerpt: "Look here! Rothwell said. You'd better go and make inquiry at Northborough. See if you can track him. Something must be wrong perhaps seriously wrong. You don't quite understand, do you, Mr. Copplestone? he went on, giving the younger man a sharp glance. You see, we know Mr. Oliver so well we've both been with him a good many years. He's a model of system, regularity, punctuality, and all the rest of it. In the ordinary course of events,...