Meggie Blackthorn

Early 1960s – Newcastle, UK

When eleven-year-old Meggie's feckless Dad doesn't pay the coal man and they have no hot water, she decides to take matters into her own hands. With her younger brother, Jack, she sets off to find the free coal she knows can be found in the pit heaps opposite their village. When she and Jack return home from their adventure, she's in big trouble.

Meggie passes the eleven-plus examination and is sent to live with her grandparents who own a newsagents in Newcastle. She soon finds herself in an ever bigger mess. Billy Fish and 'The Codmother' are ripping off Meggie's grandparents. With her new friend, paperboy Dave Spedding, she tries to help, but finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation.

Growing pains, a new school, dealing with Billy Fish’s threats against her grandparents and coping with long-hidden family secrets stretch Meggie's resourcefulness and strength of character to the limit. (66,000 words)