Cuckoo Summer

Product Information

I was drawn to Cuckoo Summer because the title and cover reminded me of books I read as a child - nostalgia is a powerful force! This experience has been fantastic primarily for the children, the school and also for me (professionally).

Fortunately, she is neighbours with Tommy and his aunts, who keen an eye out for her as she and Tommy set out on a summer of adventure. You guys were so fab and Dawn was such a lovely presence in the schools - I will absolutely be in touch next time I'm in your neck of the woods. Bookwagon loves this splendid novel, set in the spellbinding Cumbrian countryside over a Cuckoo Summer of 1940. Into this world his new friend Sally, an evacuee who lives on the neighbouring farm, appears like a breath of fresh air, full of jokes, chat and bravado, she is the type of child that others follow. Cuckoo Summer is one of those books that you know is going to find a natural place alongside books like Goodnight Mr Tom (Michelle Magorian) and The Valley Of Lost Secrets (Lesley Parr); there is so much to recommend about it.An originality comes from the tender friendship between the two, particularly in the form of the language they use - the runaway in her Geordie accent and words, and the farmer's son in terms of his affinity with the natural landscape surrounding him.

Then again, Sally’s full of stories and schemes and it seems she’s reluctant to share anything about her past life. Scarcross isn’t the only bully amongst their neighbours, and Sally is as much the hunted as the man she’s so determined to protect. This starts a chain of events that leads to the uncovering of secrets about Sally’s past and a summer of adventure that neither child will ever forget. There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. Author of eight novels, including The Season Ticket, Give Us This Day and Mr McCool, Jonathan's work has been filmed, staged and Radio 4 serialised.

Author of eight novels, including The Season Ticket, Give Us This Day and Mr McCool, Jonathan’s work has been filmed, staged and Radio 4 serialised. It’s why Aunt Annie takes little notice of Mr Scarcross’s harsh words about his evacuee friend, Sally Smith. I counted sixteen different plays on Scarcross’ name in her references to him: Stinkcross, Scarecrow, Skunkcross… each is funny and apt.

This is a lovely story full of brilliant, believable characters, sparky dialogue between the two children and running through the whole book a love of the landscape in which the children live. Against all odds, the navigator escapes by parachute, landing in a remote dale where he is discovered by local boy, Tommy, and evacuee, Sally.First and foremost Cuckoo Summer is about the friendship between the two children and the importance of family and community to them both in very different ways.

Author of eight novels, including The Season Ticket, Give Us This Day and Mr McCool , Jonathan’s work has been filmed, staged and Radio 4 serialised. You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot! This results in a chain of events that expose the children to danger and uncover secrets about Sally’s past. I’m pretty sure that this is the only children’s novel that mentions the hidden treasure of betony, lady’s bedstraw and hare’s-foot clover. Sally’s sponsor, Mr Scarcross, a gruff bully, was a soldier who fought in World War 1 and he and the local Home Guard are intent on finding the missing navigator.In the opening sentences, the two children come across a German airman who has parachuted from his plane, which has been shot down. Tommy knows that Sally’s a bit wild and her stories of her past rather unreliable, but what is she hiding? Part of Sally's appeal as a character is her dialogue - a young Liverpudlian, Tulloch captures her immense energy for life and fierce integrity through her dialogue, rich with her northern accent. Some are lucky, others, like Sally, less so; she ends up with farmer Scarcross, an ill-tempered, abusive carer. As the story develops, the stakes grow ever higher for Sally and Tommy and this will keep readers gripped as Cuckoo Summer moves towards its conclusion, when secrets are revealed and a way forward is found.