NINA BAWDEN

Lonely and forlorn after their mothers death and their sudden arrival at Aunt Mabels seaside boarding-house, John, Mary and Ben Mallory are unimpressed with their new life in England. But there are wonderful surprises in store for them when they discover a secret way into the grand and empty house next door. Soon all sorts of unexpected events will unfold as the siblings encounter a whole host of eccentric characters and happenings.Completed in 1963, The Secret Passage is Nina Bawdens first childrens novel and was written especially for her own three children after they had discovered a secret passage in the cellar of their house. It beautifully reflects her own inquisitive nature - as she herself has said: I was a keyhole child, fearsomely curious - wedded to her subtly innovative ability to empathise with the childs view.

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 of

On the Scottish island of Skua, friendship develops between the lonely and mysterious Perdita and a blind girl, Janey. Both possess a kind of second sight - Janeys is the ability to hear, feel and remember more than others, and Perditas is the ominous legacy of her being a witchs daughter. When Janeys brother, Tom, starts investigating a cluster of mysterious events and suspicious characters, all three become entwined in an adventure of hidden jewels, desperate criminals and dangerous detection.Written in 1963, TheWitchs Daughter showcases Nina Bawdens innate regard for the integrity of her young characters. As she has said: I like writing for children. It seems to me that most people underestimate their understanding and the strength of their feelings and in my books for them I try to put this right. Hugely admired on publication by both reviewers and readers, it was described as thrilling by the Times Literary Supplement.

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

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 Puffin Book - stories that last a lifetime.Carries War by Nina Bawden is an unforgettable Second World War story.I did a dreadful thing...or I feel that I did, and nothing can change it...It is the Second World War and Carrie and Nick are evacuated from London to a small town in Wales, where they are placed with strict Mr Evans and his timid mouse of a sister.Their friend Albert is luckier, living in Druids Bottom with Hepzibah Green who tells wonderful stories, and the strange Mister Johnny, who speaks a language all of his own. Carrie and Nick are happy to visit Albert there, until one day when Carrie does a terrible thing - the worst thing she ever did in her life...Based on her own childhood, Nina Bawdens enchanting story Carries War has delighted a whole generation of readers. Nina Bawden is without question one of the very best writers for childrenDaily TelegraphPerfect for fans of Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian.Now part of the A Puffin Book - stories that last a lifetime - seriesNina Bawden is one of todays best writers for both adults and children. she has often used her own childhood experiences in her books - Carries War is set in the mining valley in Wales where she lived as an evacuee in wartime. She studied philosophy, politics and economics at Somerville College, Oxford and finished her first novel the year after she took her degree. She won the Guardian Award for Childrens Fiction for The Peppermint Pig.

WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY EMMA CARROLLA touching, utterly convincing book JACQUELINE WILSON What a deep, dark, deceptively simple, brilliant novel it is EMMA CARROLL Poignant and realistic . . . Carries War captures the true reality of war for a child, and it doesnt sentimentalise war SHIRLEY HUGHES, GUARDIAN I did a dreadful thing, the worst thing of my life, when I was twelve and a half years old, and nothing can change itWhen the bombs rain down on London, Carrie and her little brother Nick are evacuated to a small town in the Welsh hills. Without their mother, and away from anything familiar, they must take refuge among strangers. Reluctantly, Mr Evans, the grocer, takes them in, with his kind, timid sister, Aunt Lou. But the children find little comfort in his austere home.Their fellow evacuee, Albert, is luckier, living in a rambling old mansion with Hepzibah Green and Mister Johnny. Hepzibah is rumoured to be a witch, but the children feel safe in her warm kitchen and are spellbound by her stories. Just as Carrie and Nick begin to settle into their new life, something happens that tests their loyalties: will they be persuaded to betray their friends?ILLUSTRATED BY ALAN MARKS

A born story-teller, a gift as evident in this autobiography as in her novelsINDEPENDENTA joy David Holloway, DAILY TELEGRAPHCasts light on the perennially fascinating relationship between the life and works of a writerSUNDAY EXPRESSNina Bawdens career spans twenty adult novels and seventeen for children. She turns now to her own story and in simple vignettes takes the reader through her life, revealing the inspirations of many of her books. It describes her childhood evacuation to Suffolk and Wales, and her years at Oxford where she met Richard Burton and Margaret Thatcher. And, she gives an account of her oldest son, Niki who was diagnosed schizophrenic.