Tess, Terrorists and the Tiara

Tess, Terrorists and the Tiara
by Terry Baldwin

212 pages
Published April 1, 2012

Thirteen-year old Tess has never been able to compete with her “perfect” older sister, but now she must—if she wants to inherit her grandmother’s priceless tiara. The two girls have been invited to their grandparent’s lake house for the summer to help take care of Grandma who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The sister who earns the most “helpful points” wins the former beauty queen’s crown.

"It’s not easy for Tess, who seems to always get things wrong despite best intentions. And who is that mysterious stranger who’s just moved next door to their grandparents’ summer cottage?
Does he know that Tess’ grandmother was once the winner of a famous patriotic beauty contest? Or that she keeps her tiara where anyone can steal it? And why doesn’t he have a face?

* * *

Tess is my kind of girl. A little clumsy, a little forgetful, very well-meaning, full of heart. With all the good intentions in the world, things around her always fall apart.

Unfortunately for Tess, when she catches sight of someone at a neighboring cabin who keeps their face covered she's curious - and a little scared. Things get stranger when she asks her grandpa about the new neighbors: he tells her they want to be left alone, and she should stay away from them.


Who could these strangers be?


When she meets a man who has ideas of his own, she agrees to keep an eye on the strangers. Before long, they're both convinced the neighbors are terrorists who want to steal the tiara Tess's grandmother won at the "Miss Land of the Free" pageant.


This is a fun, quick read!


4/5 stars


You can see the book trailer here.