J. J., a young girl from the country, runs into more than she can handle when she encounters Raymond, a bully who takes out his frustations and fears by terrorizing her. With the help of her new friends, David, an imaginative youngster with ambitions to be the next Wynton Marsalis, and Karla, a physically powerful ally with a soft heart, J. J. is able to confront both her fears and Raymond’s attacks and solve her problem.

Martha Brooks lives in Winnipeg. Her book Traveling on into the Light was named to the international 1996 IBBY Honour List and is an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Two Moons in August and Paradise Caf and Other Stories were Governor General’s Award nominees; the latter also received the 1991 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for distinguished children’s fiction. When not writing, Martha can be found performing in local jazz clubs. Maureen Hunter is one of Canada’s most successful playwrights. Her work has been produced extensively on Canada’s major stages, in the United States, and Britain, and by CBC and BBC Radio. Atlantis was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award and Transit of Venus, premiered by the Manitoba Theatre Centre, became the first Canadian play ever staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company of Britain. A native of Saskatchewan, Maureen now lives on the banks of the Red River in Winnipeg.

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Maureen Hunter is one of CanadaÂ?s most accomplished playwrights. Her work has been produced extensively on CanadaÂ?s major stages, as well as in Britain and the U.S. and has been nominated for two Governor General*#146;s Awards, two Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Outstanding New Play) and the Elinor and Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Her plays include Atlantis, premiered in English by Manitoba Theatre Centre/Theatre Calgary in 1996 and in French by Theatre de la Manufacture, Montreal, in 1999, and Transit of Venus, which received its Canadian premiere at MTC in 1992 and in 1993 became the first Canadian play ever staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company of Britain. It received its U.S. premiere in 1998 at the Bershire Festival, Stockbridge, Mass. Other plays include Vinci, Footprints on the Moon, Beautiful Lake Winnipeg, and I Met A Bully on the Hill (coâ??written with Martha Brooks). Maureen lives in Winnipeg, where she is currently at work on a new play, Wild Mouth, set in Saskatchewan in 1917, and a libretto of Transit of Venus for Manitoba Opera.

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