When a local production of The Wizard of Oz ruins Clarissa’s life by dashing her dreams and stealing her best friend, Clarissa learns that where love and friendship are concerned, if she doesn’t move forward, she'll get left behind.

Love: little word, big consequences. Clarissa has never given much thought to the word itself; she has other things to worry about. Her mother Annie is still recovering from breast cancer, and until Clarissa hears that magical word, ‘remission’, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to relax. Taking part in a community production of The Wizard of Oz seems like the perfect way for Clarissa to take her mind off her mom’s recovery and realize her dreams of becoming an actress.

But when she doesn’t make the cut, and her best friend Benji does, Clarissa is left disappointed and best-friendless, forcing her to spend more time with other people, like boy-crazy Mattie, who up until a few months ago, Clarissa would not have given the time of day to.

When Mattie becomes distracted by a new crush and Clarissa’s mother starts spending far too much time with her handsome personal trainer, Clarissa finds herself wondering when she stopped being enough for all the people in her life. Enter Michael, who seems to be interested in more than just friendship. But is that what Clarissa wants?

Love Is a Four-Letter Word picks up one year following the conclusion of Words That Start with B, reuniting readers with their favourite characters as they discover what it means to love and be loved.

Praise for Vikki VanSickle’s Words That Start with B:

“Words That Start with B is a well-crafted and enjoyable first effort from a writer who is obviously tuned in to the minds and emotions of young teens.” —Quill & Quire

“Words That Start with B is an honest look at the life of teenagers growing up and figuring out their place in the world.” —CM Magazine

Genre/Category: Middle Grade Fiction
Length: 220 pp
Setting: Canada
Period: contemporary


Canadian (English, French) rights, Scholastic Canada
US (French) rights, Scholastic Canada

For all other rights contact The Cooke Agency.

Vikki VanSickle has a BA (Hons) in Drama from Queen’s University and an MA in Children’s Literature from the University of British Columbia. She is an active member of the children’s literature community, presenting at academic conferences, reviewing books, and managing her popular children’s lit blog, pipedreaming. She is also the resident playwright and former director of Lock and Keynote Productions Musical Theatre Summer camps. Currently, she splits her time between managing The Flying Dragon Bookshop and writing.