Title: Saviors of the Bugle Publisher: Mud Pie Press Author: Barbara Elmore Number of pages: 208 Binding: Paper Price: $6.99 ISBN: 0-9714941-0-X Publication date: September 2003 AUTHOR'S THIRD YA NOVEL HITS CLOSE TO HOME 'Saviors of the Bugle' chronicles heroics of young newspaper reader Ominous headlines send 14-year-old Wendy Wright into a quandary. Her hometown newspaper is going to close because it can't pay the bills. But Wendy is not one for hand wringing. She's been reading the town's newspaper since she could read. And her sister, Miranda, wrote a column for the "Bugle" for many years. Small wonder Wendy feels a sense of possession of this twice-weekly chronicler of local events. Undaunted by ridicule, rumors and danger, Wendy rounds up her two best friends and leads them to the "Bugle" office to volunteer their help. They brave the rudeness of editor Luella Cathcart and volunteer as reporters and photographers. The young reporters soon discover that even the editor's surliness can't compare to the town's hidden seamy side. Their assignment to find Roomer the lost dog leads them straight to danger. "Saviors of the Bugle" is author Barbara Elmore's third book of young adult fiction. Elmore has read newspapers since she was a child, and as a veteran journalist has covered everything from murder and mayhem to fashion and religion. Most recently as managing editor of a Texas daily, she watched in dismay the continual slide in newspaper readership figures. "People can get news from TV, but a community newspaper remains the only mass medium that offers deeper coverage of events and is available to everyone, regardless of income or education level," Elmore said. "And newspapers are more complete and accurate than any other news medium." Elmore left the newspaper business in 2002 to write full time. Her two earlier books, "Breathing Room" and "Crookwood," both won the Texas Institute of Letters' Best Book for Children or Young People. "Saviors" is available through Baker & Taylor Books and Quality Books Inc.