There's a Cow in My Swimming Pool

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Twelve-year-old Nicole Peter’s mother has married her daughter’s
former teacher. While they are on their honeymoon, Nicole and her best
friend, Robyn, decide to have a pool party at Nicole’s farm. Events
get out of hand after a calf is born, a skunk makes an unscheduled
visit, and a cow gets into the swimming pool.

This book examines family relationships when a widowed parent
remarries, the conflicting emotions of the preteen years, responsibility
toward parents, friendships and beginning romances among young people,
and parties that get out of control when parents are not present.

The collaboration between Godfrey and O’Keeffe on this book is a
happy arrangement. Both Alberta teachers, they are the authors of a
variety of novels for junior/intermediate students, including such
titles as Guppy Love and Alien Wargames. There’s a Cow . . . has a
breezy, fast-paced conversational style and is filled with humor and the
freshness of a small-town/rural community. It would help adolescents
deal with familiar situations in their own lives such as expressing
emotions, dishonesty, and resistance to change in family life.
Recommended for students in grades 5 to 7.