Ali Ferguson has just moved into Lever Tower with his mum. It's not long before he meets Caitlin and the Alsatian dog she looks after, Falcon, who doesn't take too kindly to being walked on a lead. Caitlin introduces Ali to her best friend, Gez, and together the three set out to discover, firstly, why the foxes have disappeared from the area, secondly, why the owls have appeared and, thirdly, why Miss Osborne has, it seems, vanished...And how exactly her disappearance is related to the previous two. With the help of his friends and, significantly, Caitlin's dad, Ali and his mum begin to feel comfortable and happy in their new life without Ali's dad. Praise for 'How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant'- 'The bright narrative proceeds unerringly and often hilariously to the climax... Elen Caldecott handles the tricky subject of death superbly. It's a central theme, but it never overpowers the light breeziness of the yarn. The iron clamp of realism is unshackled to allow a primary colour world to peek even into Mr Thomas's rude and grumpy heart' - Western Mail 'Funny and quirky with a wonderful main character ... a warming and moving story from a talented new author' - TBK magazine 'Its ingenious ideas, humour and clear, unfussy style keep the pages turning speedily to the feel-good conclusion, which is moving without being mawkish' - Sunday Times 'Creating novels that engage children and at the same time show how books can help them explore difficult questions about their own experience is perhaps the ideal of children's fiction, but it's a difficult balancing act ... Elen Caldecott has achieved this balance beautifully' - Observer