The Principal's Kid

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Twelve-year-old Lionel and his sister, Bobbi, are supposed to be riding
horses and staying out of the way, but Lionel cannot keep his nose out
of trouble or his rear end in a saddle, and Powell River, British
Columbia, is a place just made for a mystery-loving kid. First there is
the strange phone call from a local scientist who suddenly has a
suspicious accident just before they can meet him. Then there is the
disturbing incident on the ferry to Powell River when someone breaks
into their horse trailer and plants an electronic bug in their car. Then
someone tries to run them off the road as they drive into town. Lionel
and Bobbi’s dad insists they are in town to help the local school
principal clear her 14-year-old son of a burglary charge, but somehow
prawn rustling, pulp and paper making, and octopus breeding all seemed
mixed up in this case. Bobbie wants to be cautious, but Lionel thinks he
can solve the case—it’s as easy as falling off a horse.

This second novel featuring the junior sleuth team of Lionel and Bobbi
maintains a constant humorous tension by playing the two siblings’
very different personalities against each other. Ecology, psychology,
and a little horse sense are mixed in to produce a very enjoyable
mystery. Highly recommended.