The Guns of Easter (13 page)

BENNY AND BABE

Benny is visiting his grandfather in the country for the summer holidays and finds his position as a ‘townie’ makes him the object of much teasing by the natives. He’s able to give as good as he gets – until he meets Babe, the village tomboy, and in this cool customer he meets his match. When the two get mixed up with Furty Howlin, things become very complicated – and dangerous.

SISTERS … NO WAY!

Cindy, a with-it and cynical young teen, still traumatised by her mother’s recent death, is appalled when her father falls in love with one of her teachers, a woman with two prissy teenage daughters. Surely he can’t be serious? She is
never
going to call them sisters … no way! As for the ‘prissy’ girls, they think Cindy is an
absolute
horror – spoiled, arrogant and rude. They can’t imagine being landed with Cindy as a sister … no way! An amusing and touching story about change and growing up.

FOUR KIDS, THREE CATS, TWO COWS, ONE WITCH (maybe)

Beverley, a bit of a snob, cooks up a plot to visit the island off the coast. She manages to convince the somewhat cautious Elizabeth and her cousin, Gerard, to go with her. Then there’s a surprise companion – Kevin, the cool guy who works in the local shop. This motley crew must find ways to support each other, and put up with each other’s shortcomings, when they are stranded on the island and encounter a strange inhabitant.

AMELIA

The year is 1914 and Amelia Pim will soon be thirteen. There are rumours of war and rebellion, and Dublin is holding its breath for a major upheaval. But all that matters to Amelia is what she will wear to her birthday party. Then disaster strikes the Pim family. Mama’s political activities bring disgrace, and it is Amelia who must hold the family together. Only the friendship of the servant girl, Mary Ann, seems to promise any hope.

NO PEACE FOR AMELIA

It’s 1916, but Amelia Pim’s thoughts are on Frederick Goodbody and not on the war in Europe. Then Frederick enlists. The pacifist Quaker community is shocked, but Amelia is secretly proud of her hero and goes to the quayside to wave him farewell. For her friend, Mary Ann, there are problems too, with her brother’s involvement in the Easter Rising. What will become of the two young men and what effect will it have on the lives of Amelia and Mary Ann