The acclaimed Child brings her trademark wacky wit and eccentric visual energy to this first full-length, fast paced, Clarice Bean episode.

"Fans of Child's irrepressible, impulsive picture-book heroine — as well as kids who have not yet had the pleasure of making her acquaintance — will devour her first chapter-book adventure." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's not easy to concentrate at school when mysterious things are happening all around you. In fact, Clarice Bean is starting to feel just like her favorite heroine: Ruby Redfort, schoolgirl detective. Clarice and her utterly best friend, Betty Moody, are planning to ace their book project about Ruby and win the class prize, until Betty disappears into thin air, and horrible teacher Mrs. Wilberton teams Clarice up with the naughtiest boy in school. Will her new partner ruin everything? Will Betty ever come back? And what on earth happened to the silver trophy everyone's hoping to win? Lauren Child brings her trademark wacky wit and eccentric visual energy to a full-length, fastpaced Clarice Bean episode that will charm even the most capricious reader.

Lauren Child is the best-selling author and illustrator of the picture books about Charlie and Lola (who also star in their own TV series) as well as the series of award-winning books about the irrepressible Clarice Bean, where the character of Ruby Redfort was first introduced. Since then she has been inundated with letters from fans asking for Ruby Redfort novels, so to all those fans here it is! Lauren Child lives in London.