Gandy Lande

The year is 1956. Gandy Lande is 10 years old, and lives with her mum in a small town. Her dad was an American airman, but nobody knows what became of him. Gandy is an only child - but she does have an imaginary brother, who leads her into all sorts of mischief. Gandy's imaginary world is full of monsters and mighty deeds, and Gandy loves it. But the world of the 1950s is fun too - there are Teddy boy suits and pony tails, Vincent motorbikes and Davy Crockett hats. Ray Cornell's lively tale of the development of Gandy's life in the small town as she catches the rabbit thief, battles with Wall-Eyed Willy and toboggans with the teenagers, has details that will both startle and amuse. Gandy's adventures, the fantastical and the very real, are sometimes strange, and often touching, and will engross young readers.