Granny the Pag Cased (NEW LONGMAN LITERATURE 11-14) - Hardcover

Nina Bawden is foremost among twentieth-century writers of fiction for children. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly wrote: "I'll come right out and say it. For my money, Miss Bawden can so no wrong. Her stories area a perfect blend of humor and suspense, and that's a blend difficult to achieve." Ms. Bawden was born in London, England, and lived there until she was evacuated with her school during the Blitz in World War II. She later attended Somerville College, Oxford. She and her husband, Austin Kark, live in London, except in the spring and summer, when they go to their home in Nauplion, Greece.

Grade 4-7?Catriona (Cat) Brooke, 12, has always longed for a normal life. Her classmates think it must be glamorous to have famous actors for parents (though she rarely sees them and finds them insufferable). They also think her motorcycle-riding guardian and grandmother, Dr. Halina Lubonirska, is totally cool, if a little eccentric. Cat, who in her early childhood confusion and rage called her granny a "Pag," comes almost by accident to acknowledge what she's always known-that a Pag is a powerful person, the sort the makes "all the really important things happen." This realization comes in handy when she is threatened by a bully at school and when her flaky mother decides that her latest role should be that of a doting parent. When a nasty custody battle ensues, Cat draws on the Pag's strength and resilience, and some as yet untapped reserves of her own, to stand up for herself and have her day in court. Bawden has created some enormously appealing characters in this funny and very touching novel. Her light touch does not mitigate the book's serious themes and readers are given a thoughtful, tender look at family values. And, as for Cat's granny-everyone, everywhere should be lucky enough to have a Pag in their lives.?Luann Toth, School Library Journal
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