The first novel in the beloved Fairacre series, Village School introduces us to the remarkable schoolmistress Miss Read and her lovable group of students, who, with a mixture of skinned knees and smiles, are just as likely to lose themselves as their mittens... Welcome to the English village of Fairacre: a handful of thatch-roofed cottages, a church, the school, the promise of fair weather, friendly faces, and good cheer——at least most of the...

Trouble brews in the tiny country village of Fairacre, when it is discovered that Farmer Miller's Hundred Acre Field is slated for real estate development. Alarming rumors are circulating, among them the fear that the village school may close. The endearing schoolmistress Miss Read brings her inimitable blend of affection and clear-sighted candor to this report, in which a young girl finds her first love, an older woman accepts a new role in life,...

Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook-and used with alarming consequences-to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic...

Discover these "novels about the gentle rhythms of English village life," as a community bands together to save their beloved local church (The New York Times). The first day of October brings an unheralded and violent storm, which whips through Fairacre, blowing down trees and telephone poles-and, worst of all, damaging the roof of St. Patrick's Church. The inhabitants of tiny Fairacre can't imagine how they will be able to afford the repairs, until...

The two-hundred-year-old cottages known as Tyler's Row, with charming leaded-glass windows and an arched thorn hedge over the gateway, are supposed to provide a haven of peace for their new owners, Peter and Diana Hale. They plan to convert the middle two cottages into one, to create their own rural refuge. But beset by carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and bills, as well as their neighboring tenants, the redoubtable Sergeant Barnaby and the sour...

A mysterious Fairacre villager receives an unexpected Christmas gift in this heartwarming holiday novel from the popular author of the Thrush Green series. Nobody in Fairacre knows much about Miss Quinn, which is a rare state of affairs and much regretted by the villagers. Apart from the fact that she lives in the annex to Mrs. Benson's house and that she works in Caxley, her past history and the amount of her salary remains a tantalizing mystery....

After a long winter of red noses and wet mittens, summer is a welcome time for Miss Read and her downland village friends. Summer at Fairacre charmingly recounts this bright, bustling season and the problems and possibilities that unfold against the background of roses, skylarks, and bees. Joseph Coggs finds a temporary home in the schoolhouse while his mother is in the hospital. Miss Read's friend Amy mysteriously disappears. Perhaps most difficult...

Times are changing in the charming downland village of Fairacre, and Miss Read isn't certain that it's all for the best. The new commuter lifestyle has caused a drop in attendance at the local school, and officials are threatening closure. Miss Read worries about the failing health of Dolly Clare. Vegetable gardens have given way to trips to the Caxley markets, and the traditional village fete now includes a prize for best quiche. With her trademark...