Katherine Anne Kirby has a problem. In fact she has more than one! She doesn¿t seem to connect with her family. She is picked on and bullied everyday at school. And if that¿s not enough, Kathy is fat. All in all, Kathy is miserable, but there is one place in the world where she feels peace, and freedom and contentment. Grumble Bluff, a deep forested ravine with a rushing stream flowing through, is Kathy¿s private sanctuary ¿ a place that she has never shared with anyone. Then comes the day when Kathy feels compelled to intercede for a girl named Greta who is being picked on by the same kids who have made her own life a living nightmare and she rescues Greta from her tormentors. From that day on the girls are inseparable and Kathy realizes something ¿ that she hasn¿t had it so bad, all along. For her best friend is coping with a problem much bigger that anything Kathy has ever had to confront. Gretäs wonderful father is dying. In the serenity of Grumble Bluff the girls discover the power of their friendship, how to triumph over the tragedies of life, and how to laugh again. KAREN BESSEY PEASE is a native of the state of Maine. She lives with her family on a seventy acre homestead in the western mountains of the state. When she is not writing, Karen enjoys gardening, watching wildlife, and taking walks in the woods with her husband, children and their pets. Currently, Karen is working on a sequel to Grumble Bluff.