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|  | | Dear Mum and Dad
Our friends are convinced that we are mad. To be honest, they have always suspected this and our determination to take three children and a new-born baby camping in France has done nothing but confirm their worst fears.
The book starts with a little biographical information, charting our first holiday in France and our progress over the next fifteen years. Finally we bought a house in Provence and then, in 1999, we moved to France.
The chapters that follow are vignettes describing events in our lives which were originally sent to our parents - hence the title of the book - but which have been tidied up and set into a more readable order in this book. Some are humorous, others more serious, but they all record my observations of the people in and around our little village.
I also give illust | |  | | Eric the First
Eric is twelve, going on thirteen, and this is the account of that year in his life. Prone to disaster, Eric limps from one hilarious catastrophe to the next.
Eric attracts trouble like dung attracts beetles - or so his sister tells him. This is the story of a year in Eric's life as he turns twelve and becomes a teenager. Eric and his friends Slasher, Gormless, Kevin and Colin struggle to keep out of trouble. Cynthia, Eric's older sister, and her friend Clara seem to have but one purpose in life - to tease Eric. His mother is not quite 'with it' and his father seems to take everything in his stride although he does lose his cool when he finds Eric drunk on his best cognac.
Amongst Eric's disasters is his first attempt to take a girl out t | |  | | The Padnell Prowler
It's 1958 and two gangs of 'nearly' teenagers have just started their summer holiday when a mysterious prowler is spotted who threatens to put and end to their fun. Even worse is to follow when Ten, the leader of The Bramble Gang, finds a dead body in the woods.
This is an adventure story for younger readers and tells of six weeks in the lives of a group of children in the summer holiday of 1958. Set in a real place - Cowplain in Hampshire, England - it is full of period detail and has a twist which usually makes readers turn back to the beginning just to make sure they haven't missed anything.
It has wonderful illustrations by Sonia Passingham who has captured the period feel with wonderful line drawings. |
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