A penny dip - Meg Hutchinson

One of five sisters, Margaret Rose Astbury grew up in Wednesbury during the first half of the twentieth century.

Despite the constant struggle to make ends meet, and the hardship and worry of wartime, life in the Black Country was not all doom and gloom. In the crowded terraced houses and teeming communal yards, there was love and laughter aplenty.

With no money to spare for toys, the Astbury girls had to make their own amusement, whether it be street games or a backyard panto. Meg was no angel, and was often 'up to her armpits in mischief'. But she knew she could rely on her sisters to stick up for her - and her mom and dad were too soft-hearted to punish any of their beloved daughters.

With all the humour and narrative skill that have made her novels bestsellers, Meg Hutchinson paints a loving portrait of family life in a more innocent age.