‘i blush when i read my first novel…it’s so naughty!’

For 45 years, Jill Barklem’s ‘Brambly Hedge’ series has been captivating young readers. Emily Allen explores her magical miniature world

JOSH dabbed expertly at the cut he’d just finished sewing up. He’d made a neat job of it and it should heal very nicely, leaving only a line. It wouldn’t be seen, anyway, once the cat’s fur grew back.

Iris climbed down from the donkey cart that had given her a lift from Penzance station, being careful not to ladder her best stockings, and walked up the narrow lane to Nantolven Farm. There was no si

You need the hardest of hearts not to love a love story, and one that raises a laugh as the course of true love fails to run smoothly only ups the feelgood factor. This is borne out by the fact that f

S tella is quicker than usual eating her breakfast. Taking worried glances out of the window just in case the cornflower blue sky might fill with dark, angry clouds, the sun obscured behind a mass of

Will Bryer on coveting a hound’s sense of smell, novel excuses for falling off and having to accept his wife is always right