Rubbing to edges. Spine and corners bumped. Spine and covers creased and worn. Top corner of rear cover missing. Pages browning.
There are plenty of stories about children having adventures while their parents have to be away on some urgent business, but these children had to manage by themselves for much longer than that. They were left originally for a week or two, but their parents disappeared and no one knew what had become of them. A tiresome landlord and a half-heard, last instruction from their father made the children decide to shift house, and they went to live in a barn. There was a fireplace in it, and a spring of fresh water just outside. It sounded great fun, but critical eyes were always watching them. There were certainly few dull moments, and adventures developed of themselves, but it was hard work too, being independent and self-supporting - more or less. Sue and Bob, the eldest of the five, planned and contrived well, but found they had to have rules thought there were never more than two. First, No Begging, Borrowing, Scrounging, or Stealing, and second, Eat Fair.
This is a vivid, gripping story with much hard reality mixed up with a lot of fun and quite unusual adventures.
