The Dead Letter box
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Cover Story
On our cover this issue we feature an illustration by Charles Keeping from Beowulf (OUP, 0 19 279770 0, £4.50), a new picture book version for 9-13s of the Anglo-Saxon hero tale. The story is retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland. We are most grateful to Oxford University Press for their help in using this illustration.
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The Dead Letter box
Mary Rayner
'Glenda and Louie were best friends, but Glenda was Louie's only friend, while everybody was Glenda's friend. Louie's imaginative plans for keeping in touch with her 'best friend' when she moves house don't really work. But during the experiment she meets Jane whose ideas for exploiting the library far outstrip Louie's modest scheme (Picked up while watching a spy film) of using it as a dead letter box. Jan Mark's devastatingly clear observation of human behaviour and her particular brand of humour blend to make a story which is accessible yet offers the developing reader something a bit tougher to bite on.