Fred and the Flood

Margaret Bunel Edwards is the author of The Ocean Between and The ABCs
of Writing for Children.

“Three minnows take on two sharks” the headline reads. A picture of
Fred, his grandmother Jackie, and his cat Rick, is right there on the
front page of the newspaper. They’re heroes!

It all begins when Fred and his dad go to pick up Grandma Jackie at the
airport. She’s come to mind Fred and Paul while their parents are
having the fish shop and house renovated. Grandma buys Rick the cat a
special house. Fred names it “The Rickmobile” and uses it to
distribute flyers to announce the grand opening of the fish shop.

Crowds arrive and Rick and his friends are told to play upstairs. They
are having a great time rolling around on the waterbed in Fred’s
parents’ room when suddenly Paul runs in with Rick. When Paul throws
the cat on the bed, the mattress bursts. Water pours everywhere,
including onto the heads of the people in the store below. Dad’s so
mad he locks Rick in his house and sends Fred to his room. When Fred
wakes from a nightmare about his cat, he goes downstairs to check on
him. He’s okay, but what’s that strange noise?

This First Novel is fun to read, with plenty of humor, an exciting
plot, and a hugely satisfying ending. As Fred says, “It’s great to
go from hang-dog to hero in just twelve hours.” Recommended.