Nina Bawden

Fourteen-year-old Emmie Bean loves her family. But she worries about them too. Her mother is gone (no one will say where). Her father drinks instead of writing. Her younger brother Oliver has started stealing. And older sister Alice disappears on illicit dates. Then there is their isolated house’s menagerie of birds and animals, including Mo the squirrel and Murgatroyd the tortoise, all of which require Emmie’s love and attention. When the Sargents, a childless couple, move in next door, Emmie and the Beans find themselves drawn to this welcoming but aimless husband and wife. Emmie fears the darkness and chaos surrounding them all. But perhaps love burns bright . . .

Carrie’s War is an exciting and moving account of the lives of children sent away from home during the Second World War, based on Nina Bawden’s own childhood experience. To escape the bombs falling on London, Carrie and her younger brother Nick are evacuated from their home to a small Welsh village where they are taken in by the village grocer, Mr Evans, who’s mean and unfriendly, and his timid sister, Lou. The children befriend another evacuee, Albert, who seems to have had more luck. He lives at a mysterious house called Druid’s Bottom where he’s looked after by the housekeeper, Hepzibah Green. The children are entranced by Hepzibah’s magical stories, including one about the curse of the screaming skull. And it’s this story that leads Carrie to do something she regrets for the rest of her life . . . Carrie’s War is part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library, a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.

'Warm and funny, this tale of a pint-size pig and the family he saves will take up a giant space in your heart' — Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink & Stars‘What a consummate storymaker Nina Bawden is’ — Michael Morpurgo, author of Kensuke's KingdomWinner of The Guardian's Prize for Children's Fiction, The Peppermint Pig is a modern classic by Nina Bawden, beloved author of Carrie's War. Perfect for children aged 9+. ‘D’ya want a peppermint pig, Mrs Greengrass?’ Poll looked at the milkman, thinking of sweets, but there was a real pig poking its snout out of the milkman’s coat pocket. It was the tiniest pig she had ever seen. It is a difficult year for the Greengrasses. Poll’s father has gone overseas for work and the family has to rely on the generosity of two aunts. After moving to a small country town, Poll struggles to settle into her new life and she just can’t seem to keep out of trouble! Everything changes when a clever, mischievous pig arrives. Can he bring joy and laughter back into their lives?

Keeping Henry is a heartwarming story about a cheeky squirrel set during World War Two by Nina Bawden, the beloved author of Carrie's War. Perfect for animal lovers of all ages. 'One of Nina Bawden's best' - The Observer‘The hay stirred. There was a small nibbling sound. A furry head poked out . . . his eyes seemed alert and inquisitive, as if he were as interested in us as we were in him.’Henry is only three inches long when he is catapulted out of his nest – a poor baby red squirrel. He is too young to survive being released into the wild, but can a squirrel be a pe? enry's new human family, fleeing from London during the Blitz, have made their home on a farm in Wales. Can Henry, who makes nests out of their clothes and runs up the children like they are trees, help them to settle into their new life?

Rose has news for Celia she is due to have a baby by Celia's husband, Humphrey. Soon after, the seeds of scandal bear a criminal fruit when a body is discovered in Little Venice along with Rose's handbag. Celia drafts in an old flame, Will, to root out the truth from suspicions of murder and blackmail, as the evidence starts to converge on the patrons and strange goings-on of the seedy Chelsea club, 'The Odd Flamingo'. First published in 1954, this was one of two gritty and atmospheric crime novels written by the accomplished children's author Nina Bawden.