The Children who Lived in a Barn

It was a kind aunt years ago who introduced me to Eleanor Graham's The Children who Lived in a Barn.

When Mr and Mrs Dunnet receive a telegam saying Mrs Dunnet's mother has had a serious accident, they arrange to fly at once to her. Set pre-WWII, they have no qualms about leaving their five children to look after themselves for a few days. Thirteen-year-old Sue is more than capable of caring for her younger brothers and sister.

Only the Dunnets are gone for much longer than a few days. In order to avoid problems with the landlord as well as the village busybodies interfering with them, Sue and her 11-year-old brother Bob along with twins Sambo and Jumbo and 7-year-old Alice take refuge in a local barn.

The children quickly realise that if life in the barn is going to work for them, they must have rules.

Rule Number One is: no begging, borrowing, scrounging or stealing.

Rule Number Two is: eat fair.

On pain of homes, orphanages and adoptions.

This is the fascinating story of how the children work hard to keep their independence while avoiding their enemies the dreaded DV (District Visitor), GP's wife Mrs Legge and the vicarage. But they find unexpected friends and help in the most unlikely of places along the way.

I love this book and was delighted to find a good quality secondhand copy. This is a story I enjoy coming back to over and over. It definitely deserves 5*.

She was the Quiet One

Another fabulous thriller from Michele Campbell. This was one of those books where I got immersed in its world and its characters seemed real. I wanted justice to be done and didn't want the murderer to get away with it.

The lives of twins Rose and Bel and teacher couple Heath and Sarah become entwined when the girls arrive at Odell, an exclusive boarding school.

Rose is the quiet twin who abides by the rules and gets frustrated and angry with her sister who is - shall we say - rather less law-abiding.

Bel falls in with the noxious privileged rich kids straightaway which leads her directly into one nasty prank after another.

Heath and Sarah are their dorm parents, with Heath caring for Bel who is struggling to come to terms with their mother's recent death. Sarah takes on Rose and encourages her to keep an eye on her troubled twin, though this leads to nothing but trouble for Rose.

Heath and Sarah appear to have a perfect loving marriage with two adorable young children and a dog. Heath is ambitious and has his eyes fixed on becoming headmaster. Sarah longs for Heath to believe in himself and succeed. But ugly rumours going around the school could scupper their happy life and future dreams.

As per usual, this book kept me guessing:  initially, who was going to be the murder victim? And then, who's the murderer? First I thought it this character, then that. Lots of tension. Right at the end, there was an unexpected twist I didn't see coming.

If this was made into a television drama or film, there'd be lots of dramatic music, build-up and psychological tension. A real nail-biting plot.

Michele Campbell has become one of my favourite authors, alongside John Grisham and Lee Child. I'm delighted to award this book 5*.