Nina Bawden – författare

One of the most loved and enduring wartime novels, Carrie's War is a modern classic. WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY MICHAEL MORPURGO AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALAN MARKS'A touching, utterly convincing book' JACQUELINE WILSON 'Poignant and realistic . . . Carrie's War captures the true reality of war for a child, and it doesn't 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 it' It is wartime and Carrie and her little brother Nick have been evacuated from their London home to the Welsh hills. In an unfamiliar place, among strangers, the children feel alone and find little comfort with the family they are billeted with: Mr Evans, a bullying shopkeeper and Auntie Lou, his kind but timid sister.When Carrie and Nick visit Albert, another evacuee, they are welcomed into Hepzibah Green's warm kitchen. Hepzibah is rumoured to be a witch, but her cooking is delicious, her stories are enthralling and the children cannot keep away. With Albert, Hepzibah and Mister Johnny, they begin to settle into their new surroundings. But before long, their loyalties are tested: will they be persuaded to betray their new friends?This collection of the best children's literature, curated by Virago, will be coveted by children and adults alike. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (The Dark Horse, An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving), E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess, The Secret Garden) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

There was a real pig poking its snout out of the milkman's coat pocket. It was the tiniest pig she had ever seen.' 'What's a peppermint pig?' Poll asks her mother. Johnnie was only the runt of the litter. He'd cost Mother a shilling, but somehow his naughtiness and cleverness kept Poll and her little brother Theo cheerful, even though it was one of the most difficult years of their lives. This collection of the best children's literature, curated by Virago, will be coveted by children and adults alike. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (The Dark Horse, An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving) E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess,The Secret Garden) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

BY THE BELOVED AUTHOR OF CARRIE'S WAR AND THE PEPPERMINT PIG'A subtle and many-layered story, one of Nina Bawden's best' OBSERVER 'What a consummate storymaker Nina Bawden is' MICHAEL MORPURGO 'The hay stirred. There was a small nibbling sound. A furry head poked out. I saw its dark, beady eyes, its sharp, pointed ears ... 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 naughty Charlie catapults him out of his nest - a poor baby red squirrel, all ragged and skinny. He is too young to survive being released into the wild, but can a squirrel be a pet?Henry's new human family has also had to adapt to a different way of life. Evacuated from London during the Blitz, to a farm in Wales, they were upturned from their old life just as Henry was 'tipped out' of his nest. Can this mischievous little creature, who makes nests out of their clothes and runs up the children like they are trees, help them to settle into their new life?A collection that will be coveted by children and adults alike, this list is the best in children's literature, curated by Virago. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden), E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), L. M. Montgomery (The Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY EMMA CARROLL'A touching, utterly convincing book' JACQUELINE WILSON 'What a deep, dark, deceptively simple, brilliant novel it is' EMMA CARROLL 'Poignant and realistic . . . Carrie's War captures the true reality of war for a child, and it doesn't 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 it'When 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

Winner of the 1993 Pheonix Award.

Deeply unhappy at the recent divorce of her parents, Mary is sent away to live by the sea with her distant grandfather and the detestable Aunt Alice. Feeling abandoned, without even the company of her beloved pet cat Noakes, the summer looks set to become one long stretch of unendurable loneliness. But suddenly she is dragged, half unwittingly, into a situation that will force her to come to the aid of others more vulnerable than herself. So begins her runaway summer, as she sets about helping Simon, the son of a local policeman, and a young illegal immigrant boy arrived from Kenya, frightened and all alone.The Runaway Summer was first published in 1969 to typically universal acclaim. It is, in the words of the Times Educational Supplement, an 'unputdownable gem of a book. The tale is beautifully constructed in diamond-hard language.'

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 - Janey's is the ability to hear, feel and remember more than others, and Perdita's is the ominous legacy of her being a witch's daughter. When Janey's 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, The Witch's Daughter showcases Nina Bawden's 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.

Lonely and forlorn after their mother's death and their sudden arrival at Aunt Mabel's 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 Bawden's first children's 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 child's view.

Ben, eleven years old and the youngest of the Mallory children, has left his aunt and siblings to come to London where his widower father wishes to introduce him to his young future step-mother.Unable to return home when his brother and sister become ill, Ben is left on his own to explore the maze of walled gardens which surround his new home. Soon he meets Thomas, the son of an exiled East African Prime Minister, and Lil, a fatherless cockney waif. All three children, troubled and contending with the dislocation of their new lives, become entwined in each others' journeys of self-discovery and adventure.In Nina Bawden's much-praised second novel for young readers, the lessons and pains of childhood are evinced with characteristic deftness, combining sympathy, affection and timeless wit.

Determined to find the ex-lodger who stole his grandmother's savings, Fred McAlpine and his friends Sid, Rosie, Algy and Clio launch on a series of sleuthing activities to trace the thief. Unfortunately their detective work leads them nowhere fast and very soon they decide the best way to track a thief might just be by acting like one themselves.Resorting to cunning of their own, the children find their doings attracting the attention of the police. Can they - a handful of well-meaning thieves - find the criminal and vindicate themselves in the process?Pacy and suspenseful, A Handful of Thieves is another vivid and colourful novel from one of Britain's most inventive children's authors.

'I am an outside child. That is what Plato Jones calls me.'Jane Tucker is thirteen years old when she discovers she has a half-brother and sister, a revelation which promises to bring both excitement and succour to her ordinary life.But obstacles lie in her path when, for unknown reasons, she is prevented from meeting them. Aided by her friend Plato, Jane tracks down her brother and sister to their home in the East End of London. There she finds still more surprises lie in store for her.Can Jane at last be part of a 'proper' family, or must she always remain the outside child?This is the story of a girl and her family and the secrets they keep from one another. Both funny and poignant, The Outside Child is a beautifully drawn study of adolescence from one of Britain's most skilled writers for children.

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.

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.

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 pet?Henry'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?

'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?

'A poignant and realistic picture of what the second world war was like for a child' – Shirley Hughes, The Guardian‘A touching, utterly convincing book’ – Jacqueline Wilson, author of The Story of Tracy BeakerCarrie's War offers a window into the life of evacuees during World War Two, full of Nina Bawden's award-winning humour and heart. Perfect for ages 9+.Carrie and her little brother Nick are evacuated from wartime London to the Welsh hills. Their new home with strict Mr Evans and his kind but timid sister, Auntie Lou, offers little comfort.But then Carrie and Nick visit Albert, another evacuee, and Hepzibah Green welcomes them into her warm kitchen. People say that she is a witch, but Hepzibah’s delicious cooking and enthralling stories are impossible to resist.With the help of Albert, Hepzibah, and even Auntie Lou, Carrie and Nick begin to settle in. But before long, Carrie’s loyalty is tested. Will she be persuaded to betray her new friends?

Rediscover the brilliance of Tortoise by Candlelight in the Mermaid Collection - classic books by popular pioneering female authors republished to delight new generations of readers. Set just outside London in the early 1960s, this is a charming novel about a family living on the edge of society in their dilapidated Victorian house following the departure of their mother - and the upheaval when a new couple moves in next door . . .With a foreword by Eve Chase‘Birds don’t love. They only feed their babies because they gape . . .’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 . . .Praise for Nina Bawden:‘An exceptional picture of disorganised family life’ Observer‘Bawden is noted too for the sharp sense of humour that edges her tales of middle-class manners and mores towards satire, particularly when it all goes wrong’ Guardian

Carrie Willow and her brother Nick are evacuees transported to the safety of the countryside in the 1940s. There they stay with mean Mr Evans; but there's also kind Auntie Lou, and brilliant young Albert Sandwich and Mr Johnny, who speaks his own language, and Hepzibah, the witch at Druid's Grove who makes perfect mince pies. And then there's the ancient skull with its terrifying curse...

'A born story-teller, a gift as evident in this autobiography as in her novels' INDEPENDENT'A joy' David Holloway, DAILY TELEGRAPH'Casts light on the perennially fascinating relationship between the life and works of a writer' SUNDAY EXPRESSNina Bawden's 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.