The Secret Place
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Cover Story
The illustration on our cover is taken from Stories for Children by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by P J Lynch, 0 7500 0302 2, £10.00 (see Fairy Tale Favourites). The book is published by Simon & Schuster and we're grateful to them for help in using this illustration.
The Secret Place
Sarah and Susanna realise a childhood fantasy by making a den in an old air-raid shelter in the garden. But they aren't the first children to have played there. Their refuge is haunted by the dead joys and living fears of the elderly woman next door, who is reputed to be a witch. Over the course of the summer, the girls learn the history of their den, a process which involves them in a warmer witchcraft of healing and reconciliation. A fascinating story which might provide a good starting point for older children to explore the influences of the past on the present.