I just loved this book. My thanks to Susan Wester for reminding me of Jane Gardam. This was so clear and true and wonderful, it read like a collection of childhood memories. All the details of those perfectly remembered moments. I completely felt like I was inside the head of a very real girl. A total breath of fresh air! Laughter and poignancy and nostalgia. Truly lifted my spirits. ( )

Lucy is a young girl living in a small, seaside town in Yorkshire, in the years between the wars. She has a best friend, Mary, who joins her on various adventures, though they are sometimes accompanied by Lucy’s little brother, Jake. And she has many aunts to alternately indulge, entertain and scold her.

This is a charming collection of stories about childhood, and reminds this reader of our greatest and most valuable plaything – imagination. I loved how they played pirates, explored the abandoned estate next door (venturing all the way up to the attic, when her mother thought they were only in the garden), or searched the seashore for “treasure.” And my favorite mishap has to be the trip to buy a special cake, which is to be a parting gift for a guest. I laughed aloud at that one!

This was Gardam’s first published work, and I’m so glad that she’s written many more since. ( )