Belling a Cat — Stella Whitelaw

Tessa is a wild and feisty thirteen year old with a passion for animals. She lives outside Lerwick on the Shetlands. Her mother, runs the Bear Garden, a sanctuary for abandoned and injured animals. But Tessa is appalled by her mother's friendship with Nick, the young gypsy veterinary student who helps out at the Bear Garden. Her father, a famous wildlife film maker, is currently somewhere in Ecuador. He has no time to write, little time to phone.

Tessa discovers that she can talk to a pregnant feral that she calls Svass. It's a wonderful secret. The cat is hiding in the rocks under an old boat down on the small harbour. Tessa talks in English but the cat talks in old Norse, the ancient language of the Shetlands. They seem to understand each other. The care and rescue of this feral dominates Tessa's life.

Many challenges await. Can Tessa manage the impossible - to bell a cat?

(Author's note: 'Belling A Cat' is a proverb which means trying to achieve something virtually impossible.)