Refuge - Gillian White

At once, she knew who had burned the baby...

Shelley, mother of various children by different fathers, loves all her kids with a fierce passion. But Joey, her eldest, has always been a bit of a problem. She has defended him when the school complains about his behaviour; made excuses for him when he has been rude or bullying or seemingly out of control. But an eight-week old baby in a pram, set alight by some rowdy youths - surely her Joey couldn't be involved in that? When the police arrive and take him away to be questioned, she has to endure the primitive hostility of a neighbourhood outraged by the death of an innocent little child.

Shelley has to take her other children to a place of safety, and the authorities put her in touch with the Boltons, a kindly farming couple who take in problem families and work miracles on them. On their remote Dartmoor farm Shelley and her kids find a refuge - fresh air, wholesome food, and a discipline which they have never known before. The children seem calmer, happier. But many families have come to the Boltons' farm, and not all of them have left it...