From Fitzhenry & Whiteside
$19.95 hardcover (CAN), $14.95 (US)

$12.95 softcover

THE COUNTESS AND ME Fitzhenry and Whiteside Fourteen-year-old Jordan has to choose between acceptance by a gang of cool kids or betrayal of “the countess,” his only real friend. His decision may seem simple, but getting there is not easy.

“The Countess and Me is briskly paced with a likeable protagonist and some thoughtful asides about life and growing up…the novel is a quick read that may have the fainthearted flipping forward to make sure everything comes out all right…” (Quill & Quire review)

The first time Jordan meets the Countess von Loewen, he helps her bury a carved quartz skull. She claims the skull is cursed; Jordan thinks she's just a crazy lady. Soon Jordan is working for the countess, and despite himself, he grows to care about the lonely old woman. The countess believes in him as no one ever has. She knows Jordan can become whatever he chooses.

But at school, Jordan's bragging about the countess and her "cursed" skull gets him into more trouble than he could have imagined. The tough group he's anxious to join comes up with the perfect test of his loyalty: steal the countess's quartz skull. After all, she doesn't want it anymore. And the curse is just a dumb superstition, right?

Will Jordan find the courage to become the person the countess believes in? Or will he buy popularity at the expense of her trust?

It's Jordan's choice.