It is 1953, Coronation year, and Sally finds herself having to stay with her crabby old nextdoor neighbour. Her mum's seriously ill in hospital, her dad's abroad, and her brother is doing his National Service, and when the grandfather clock breaks into a million pieces, her life goes terribly wrong...

Ann Pilling won the Guardian Award for Henry's Leg (Puffin). Her writing is strong, atmospheric, chilling, and sometimes gory.