Susan

Eight-year-old Susan expects a seaside adventure when arrangements are made for her to spend the winter with her mother's aunt at Ramsgate. Her brother Freddie needs a warmer climate for his health, and the household is busy preparing for his departure. Then a conversation overheard at bedtime turns Susan's excitement into worry. Even the unfamiliar name Enticknapp becomes a source of anxious speculation, while Freddie's teasing makes her questions harder to settle.

Amy Walton's children's novel gives close attention to the way a child forms judgments from scraps of conversation and small observations. Later, Susan watches Sophia Jane's coins and refusal to buy sweets, deciding that her companion must be a miser. Lessons, attic games, Sunday reading and chapel visits provide the everyday setting for this story of family ties, friendship and conduct. Readers interested in childhood misunderstandings will find a narrative that takes Susan's fears and confident guesses seriously.