Monica Plum's Horrid Problem

Book excerpt: This is a story for children with troubled parents. Monica has a horrid problem. It gets everywhere: into her schoolwork, her dreams, and her ability to make friends. People keep telling her to cheer up. She can't. She feels as if she is carrying around some very heavy luggage. Then one day, a helpful teacher sees how miserable Monica is, and tells her about the knights in the world, who are posing as people. In a whispering wood, Monica finds some of these knights. They teach her how to make her problem far less horrid. In particular they show her how to cope when other people's problems weigh you down and make you feel miserable. Most importantly they show her how to do life well. Monica leaves whispering wood feeling empowered and ready to face what she could not face before.