NINA BAWDEN

Johnnie was only the runt of the litter, a little peppermint pig. He'd cost Mother a shilling, but somehow his great naughtiness and cleverness kept Poll and Theo cheerful, even though it was one

The expulsion from school of their eldest son shatters the middle-class secutiry of Maggie, a writer, and Charlie, a journalist. Since childhood, Toby has been diffident and self-absorbed, but the threat of drug taking and his refusal (or inability) to discuss his evident unhappiness, disturbs them sufficiently to seek professional help. Veering between private agony and public cheerfulness, Maggie and Charlie struggle to support their son and cope with the reactions- and advice- of friends and relatives. Noted for the acuity with which she reaches into the heart of relationships, Nina Bawden here excels in revealing the painful, intimate truths of a family in crisis. Toby's situation is explored with great tenderness, while Maggie's grief and self-recrimination are rigorously, if compassionately, observed. It is a novel that raises fundamental questions about parents and their children, and offers tentative hope but no tidy solutions.

Evacuated from London to Wales during the Second World War, Carrie and her brother are sent to live with the very strict Mr Evans. But in trying to heal the breach between Mr Evans and his estranged sister, Carrie does the worst thing she ever did in her life. Puffin Modern Classics highlight the most successful and enduringly popular stories published for children in recent years.

A beautiful hardback edition to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the most beloved and enduring children s classics of the 20th century

One of the most loved and enduring wartime novels Carrie s War is a modern classic Published for the first time as a Virago Modern Classic with a foreword by Michael Morpurgo