Nina Bawden

Written in 1973, Carrie's War is an exciting and very moving account of the lives of children sent away from home during the 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. Hepzibah welcomes Carrie and Nick into the warmth of her kitchen where she feeds them delicious food. The children love their visits and they 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.