Puffin, Things start going wrong in Geraldine's life after the arrival of the white guinea-pig, Alberta. Geraldine had not wanted to look after Alberta for Alma, but there had been no choice. Then Alberta escapes from her cage, and in Geraldine's dreams, she sees Alberta as big and dangerous. There are unknown problems in Geraldine's family - mysterious strangers and things going on she doesn't understand. Ezra next door has his own secret - a well-beloved little sister who died in an accident. In a moving chapter Ezra describes the day Tory died and his parents' methods of coping with the tragedy. He found himself unable to go to the funeral and has not properly grieved for Tory, killed three years earlier. Ezra and Geraldine are not close friends, but their separate problems bring them together. In a shocking end, Geraldine's father is arrested for fraud, and Alberta, the guinea-pig, is killed in a freak accident. Ezra and Geraldine bury the guinea-pig and together begin to come to terms with their tragedies. There is humour as well as great sadness in the story. A fine piece of writing.