Set in a Lake District farming community in 1940, the story follows the adventure of two children, local boy Tommy - who tells the story - and Tyneside evacuee, Sally.

I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! The cruelty she suffers at the hands of Mr Scarcross and her impoverished background is offset against her character’s resilience and humour. Candy Gourlay introduces Wild Song, her companion novel to Bone Talk, in which Luki and Samkad leave their home in the Philippines for America.

I was drawn to Cuckoo Summer because the title and cover reminded me of books I read as a child - nostalgia is a powerful force! The Lake District is untainted by WWII, with only the evacuees and drafted soldiers any indication there is a war going on, which was a refreshing take of the children's wartime novel – so many stories of the same genre often thrust you right into the action.

I’m pretty sure that this is the only children’s novel that mentions the hidden treasure of betony, lady’s bedstraw and hare’s-foot clover. This one would work well in city schools because it shows a life completely different from the city and the many traditions which still occur - such as the sheep shearing. You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot! Author of eight novels, including The Season Ticket, Give Us This Day and Mr McCool , Jonathan’s work has been filmed, staged and Radio 4 serialised. At one point, the children’s unkind teacher, Miss Gently rattles through the timetables, beating her long ruler like ‘an auctioneer watching farmers at a cattle sale.Cuckoo Summer is one of those books that you know is going to find a natural place alongside books like Goodnight Mr Tom (Michelle Magorian) and The Valley Of Lost Secrets (Lesley Parr); there is so much to recommend about it. Now at last, after many, many attempts, I’ve built all the parts into a book – I first began it 25 years ago. The unfolding of Sally’s story and the close friendship between these children, and the silent Simon is a pleasure. It seems Mr Scarcross has little time for his evacuee, and nor does Miss Gently or others in the community. Wordsworth’s Daffodils is a fitting reference and motif, revealing Sally’s delight in the rural landscape around her.

I loved the setting of this book too, in the green countryside of the Lake District, farming for victory and doing what they could for the war effort. He is a villain in the mould of some of the worst in children’s literature and quite terrifying at times. The German airman needs their help, but there are much bigger secrets afoot for the children to contend with.

The characters in Cuckoo Summer are living, breathing beings and each of them has a distinctive role in the story, which is told from the perspective of Tommy, a loyal and compassionate friend who instinctively knows that all's not right in Sally's world, when she refuses to tell him anything about her former home life.