Penelope and the Others

Thirteen-year-old Pennie Hawthorne has a problem that careful sums cannot solve: she wants to replace a cherished china figure belonging to her godmother, Miss Unity Cheffins. A friend broke it during a visit, and Pennie feels responsible for putting things right. Her small weekly allowance leads her to propose a shared savings scheme to her brothers and sisters. Their competing interests give Amy Walton's children's novel a lively beginning, set among lessons, gardens and the crowded pet barn at Easney Vicarage.

The story pays attention to the worries that can make ordinary childhood events feel enormous. In a later scene, Pennie dreads a dancing class and frets over shabby shoes, finding a sympathetic listener in Ambrose. Family budgets, generosity and embarrassment sit alongside the children's games. Readers can follow a country household where thoughtful intentions meet impatience, practical obstacles and the wish to be understood.