A charming and inventive fantasy about one of the best-known contemporary legends. On the west coast of Scotland in 1930, Kirstie is combing the beach after a storm with her little brother, Angus, when she comes upon a strange looking piece of tidal wash that soon hatches into a tiny sea monster. It's a Water Horse, her grandfather, Grumble, tells them with delight ("Grumble smiling!" Kirstie notes in amazement). Soon Kirstie and her family have christened the animal Crusoe, and over the coming months form a delightful bond with the affectionate beastie. But a rapidly growing sea monster is not easy to hide from the neighbors, let alone keep housed and fed. Eventually they move him to a large, secluded lake. The name of that lake isn't revealed in the story itself, but many readers will have already guessed it by the story's end, when an excerpt from a newspaper article dated 1933 confirms the first known sighting of the Loch Ness monster. Even readers who are not familiar with the Loch Ness monster will thoroughly enjoy this whimsical, lighthearted story with its appealing characters and captivating plot. (Ages 8-10)