Willie Beech is evacuated to the countryside as the Second World War breaks out. A sad, deprived child, he slowly begins to flourish under the care of old Tom Oakley. But then his mother summons him back to war-torn London... Will he ever see Mister Tom again? One of the best stories about wartime ever written.
As an evacuee, Ralph received a good education, but after the war Ralph's working-class father resents his education and his ambition to be an actor, and is furious when Ralph is sacked from the paper mill. The story traces Ralph's struggle to reconcile the disparate strands of his life.
By the author of Goodnight Mr Tom, this is a heart-warming story of a young girl growing up in the immediate post-war era. For Elsie, though, the fighting isn't over. Not only does she have to cope with the indifference of her father, himself adjusting to family life after the war, she also has to run the gauntlet of a vicious bully and cope with being a scholarship girl at the local grammar school. Through her work with the local repertory theatre, Elsie's confidence slowly grows and she finds herself able to confront all her demons. This is the rich and dramatic story of a young girl who manages to overcome many obstacles in her attempts to lead a normal life. Michelle Magorian's great strength is her ability to understand both the vulnerabilities and the strengths of her characters, and to imbue even the most distressing events with elements of humour and warmth. --Philippa Reece
<i> 'Looks like I rescued you just in time. You're working class, and don't forget it. Family is the most important thing in the world. You lose family, you loose everything. That's where your first loyalty is. So you can drop the accent.' </i> To John Hollis, back from fighting in the Second World War, his son Ralph is worse than a cuckoo in the nest, he is a traitor. Ralph gives up a precious job because all he wants is to be an actor. In the Palace Theatre Ralph is also a cuckoo in the nest. he is working class, without influential friends, without money to buy him a training in the usual way. There seems no future. Ralph will not be put off. He is as stubborn as his father. Whatever the obstacle, Ralph is going to make his dream a reality. Michelle Magorian's acclaimed gifts let one eavesdrop on two worlds, the Hollis family and the Palace Theatre. The theatre echoes in the family with its tensions and humour but in the theatre even the wildest dreams come true. This is a wonderfully engaging and powerful story of growing up, of learning to make one's own future. It is a universal story of fathers and sons and the supreme power of family love.