Chick,

I think it's great that you love your granddaughter - that is one of the things that will help her. I would recommend our book (I have a 10-year old friend who read it and came to a book signing.) She is very young and it is important to begin to find her some stable footing so that she can get about in the world. I would recommend going slowly, as in, don't rush into anything. Do some research. It's hard with you in the U.S. and her in Canada, but the web is a very useful tool and I'm sure you can find groups/therapists/ratings for doctors and psychologists who practice in whatever city she lives in. There are many different approaches that an individual practitioner can be inclined to use, so, unfortunately, sometimes you literally do have to shop around.
Many experts recommend a combination of talk therapy and medication, but it all depends on the particular circumstances of the individual and on the conditions that might have given rise to her anxieties and fears.
I assume her parents are divorced? When was that? Did her fears/anxieties change subsequent to that? She sounds like a high-achiever, and if you read backwards in this thread, you'll find a few high achievers in the group. Sometimes (and perhaps frequently), high achievers can be seeking control and an outlet for all the energy that stirs their fears. This can start innocently enough - if I'm working hard on my school work, then I don't have to think about the things I'm afraid of. By itself, it's not a bad thing - as you point out -she has accomplished alot in her young life. She could also have an artistic mind which is often more prone to fears and anxieties (probably because it sees more things and is bright and almost inadvertently open to a wider range of experience and input).
For these and other reasons, I would encourage the slow approach. Reading; letting her know you love her and that she is not alone; and assuring her that there is help for her - that many, many people experience these things and that there are many treatment options.

It is ironic that her fear of the bus breaking down came true - that certainly doesn't help (but in a way it can help - because it teaches a lesson about control). One of the diary entries in the book tells the story of a nurse who went tons of miles out of her way to avoid a bridge, only to find herself at the face of another bridge. I went to Boston (from Chicago) once and I DID NOT, DID NOT, DID NOT WANT TO GO - I was afraid. So I tried to control things - I figured if I went standby, then I'd have a better chance of avoiding some ... destiny (that's the best way I can put it). I kept having to choose which flight and that was difficult and just at the last minute I chose a different flight. I thought I'd exerted enough control to increase my chances of survival. Turns out the plane I chose (and nearly all the ones after it) was stuck on the tarmac/runway, for - I kid you not - 7 hours. I was in the back row in the middle seat. I have flying trouble myself. Of course, you don't know in the begging of a 7 hour wait that it's going to be 7 hours - it was horrible and I didn't think I'd survive it (but of course I did). Had I gotten on my original flight, I would have had a smoothe and uneventful trip to Boston. I have paid other "prices" for extreme avoidance behavior - it seems somehow that the universe is trying to make us chuckle sometimes as it tells us to "let go...."
There's a fine line too between "helping" someone with debilitating fear and, ending up being (to use a very bad term) an enabler. It's all a bunch of fine lines, I think. While it was good that her mother didn't force her on the plane (she's too young for that), it's always good to encourage and support and sometimes insist on "baby steps."
So talk to her mom, find a doctor, find a therapist RECOMMENDATION and find out what their approach is. She might be a good candidate for straightforward cognitive therapy - a kind of behavioral conditioning which teaches you how to get a handle on the churning mind.
Feel free to bounce back with questions and let us know how it's progressing. What a great Nan you are!
-Julie