To Diana Boddington, Margot Boyd, David Kelsey, Vere Lorrimer, Julia MacDermot and Robin Wentworth
First published in Great Britain 1994
by Methuen Children’s Books Ltd
This edition published 2015 by Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Text copyright © 1994 Michelle Magorian
Cover illustration copyright © 2015 Lucy Davey
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted.
First e-book edition 2015
ISBN 978 1 4052 7702 0
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1724 3
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Stay safe online. Any website addresses listed in this book are correct at the time of going to print. However, Egmont is not responsible for content hosted by third parties. Please be aware that online content can be subject to change and websites can contain content that is unsuitable for children. We advise that all children are supervised when using the internet.
Contents
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
ACT TWO
December 1946-March 1947
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
ACT THREE
March-April 1947
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
‘No suicides this week,’ Auntie Win announced, laying the newspaper flat on the kitchen table.
Elsie sat with her small bony elbows on the table, picking her nose. ‘Any murders?’ she asked.
‘Elsie, you know what I’ve said about doin’ that. One day your brains will fall out.’
Elsie removed her finger.
‘Wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway,’ scoffed Harry.
‘You can talk,’ cried Elsie, swinging round. ‘The only reason you’re in Mr Woods’ class is because Miss Ferguson couldn’t bear to have you for three years.’
He grinned in good humour and gave a careless shrug. ‘I don’t care.’
‘Oooooh, Ellen, listen to this,’ Win exclaimed.
Elsie and Harry’s mother lifted up her head from the ironing and gave her sister a tired smile.
‘Next Wednesday at St Andrew’s Parish Hall there’s a demonstration of electric cooking. It’s at 3 p.m. You ought to go.’
‘There’s