Not All Tarts Are Apple, Pip Granger

I can't remember when I first went to live with Auntie Maggie and Uncle Bert. Rumour has it that I lived with my mum for the first few months of my life, but that she nipped into the cafe one day to borrow a few quid and somehow managed to leave without me. It seems that I have always been surrounded by the warmth of the kitchen, the smell of food cooking and the murmur of punters' voices rising and falling above the hiss and bubble of the urn. 


In 1953, London's alleyways are full of all sorts of shady characters. But seven-year old Rosie has a spot in everyone's heart. She lives with her Uncle Bert and Aunt Maggie, and one day she learns that "The Perfumed Lady" is really Rosie's mother. And there is a plot afoot that Rosie is the target of. She rallies the whole neighborhood to her aid. This was a whimsical book. It had a really British writing style, with a lot of British terms and a sort of British feel to it, which I enjoyed. Also, I loved all the characters: fortune-tellers, card-sharks, crooks, who are all good people in their way, as well as Rosie's family. And Rosie herself was a great character, an indomitable, cheerful, seven-year old who narrates the book throughout, never allowing herself to be beaten down or intimidated.

Read Not All Tarts Are Apple:

• if you like British books
• if you like whimsical stories

205 pages.

Very Good! I would recommend this book!