Heather Blake is horrified when her grandmother gets involved with the Ladies of the Forest, a radical group of protesters willing to do just about anything to save a stand of old-growth trees from the loggers' chainsaws. When the Ladies make a calendar, semi-nude photos of Granny and her friends hang on just about every fridge on Tarragon Island. Things get even worse when protesters get arrested and tempers flare. Without question, there's a crisis in the Tarragon Woods, and the solutions are far from clear-cut. Inspired by actual conflicts played out on logging roads and protest camps in British Columbia, Trouble on Tarragon explores issues facing many communities today. Like many other citizens, Heather must grapple with some difficult questions. What are the avenues open to a citizen displeased with government policies? Can one ever break the law with a clear conscience? Is a protester a criminal? How can a journalist remain unbiased when personally involved with a story? With a touch of wry humour, Nikki Tate has created a believable story of a young writer trying to make sense of the world around her. Fans of this series, and readers new to Tate's work, won't be able to put Trouble on Tarragon down. "In this remarkable contemporary story, Nikki Tate scoops up the beating heart of the environmental struggle over BC public forests and presents it to her young readers with verve and audacity. In their efforts to save a rainforest, grandmothers pose naked, granddaughters freak out, little boys get arrested and the community becomes polarized over the clear cutting of public forests. A great read, one I would wish for every Canadian child." -Betty Krawczyk, author of Lock Me Up or Let Me Go

It's not easy to have a private life on a small island. Thirteen-year-old Heather Blake can't stand the fact people on Tarragon Island know about her family's traumas practically before she does. The local youth writing group is supposed to help her meet people and improve her writing skills. Instead, Heather finds herself revealing way too much about both her writing life and her private thoughts to kids she can't believe are becoming her friends. Heather's new school, a budding romance, serious family illness, a strange crime, and even stranger island residents cause more trouble than she thinks she can handle. It will take all the strength and determination Heather can muster if she hopes to survive and carve out a place for herself in her new island home.