A classic war story from the award-winning author of Goodnight, Mister Tom. A Spoonful of Jam will truly capture your heart and mind. The war is over but Elsie is still fighting her own battles. She's bullied because she's the only scholarship pupil at the grammar school, and she has an awkward relationship with her father as he struggles to assume a normal life after fighting in the war. But when she begins working at the local theatre, Elsie discovers she can escape . . . A Spoonful of Jam is the second of The Hollis Family books, following Cuckoo in the Nest. Michelle Magorian takes a lens to post-war Britain, revealing its prejudices, its quirks and its warmth. The perfect read for everyone who loved The Book Thief or Carrie's War. "The book is a treat. A masterly work." Philip Pullman, Guardian. Michelle Magorian is the best-selling author of numerous award-winning stories for children, including A Spoonful of Jam, A Little Love Song, and Cuckoo in the Nest and Just Henry. Her extensive list of awards includes the Costa Prize and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. Michelle has worked in theatre, television and films and has an established reputation as a comedienne, performing in plays and musicals.

"'The author has a wonderful gift for hanging a richly woven tapestry around an essentially simple frame.' Times Education Supplement."

Michelle Magorian is the best-selling author of numerous award-winning stories for children. Several of her books, including Goodnight, Mr Tom and Just Henry have been adapted for TV, helping book sales to reach the millions in the UK alone. Michelle was born in 1947 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, of a Welsh mother and Irish father with an Armenian Surname! Michelle Spent her toddler years in Singapore and two-and-a-half years (aged 7-9) in Australia. In between times, up to the age of eighteen, she lived in Portsmouth. She was educated at Kilbreda college, Mentone (Victoria, Australia) and the Covent of the Cross, Waterlooville, Hampshire. From 1969-1970 she was a mime student at Marcel Marceau's L'Ecole International de Mime in Paris. Since then Michelle has worked in theatre, television and films and has an established reputation as a comedienne, performing in plays and musicals. Michelle also toured with her one woman mime show in Italy and England. Some of her best-loved stories include A Spoonful of Jam, A Little Love Song, Cuckoo in the Nest, Just Henry and Goodnight, Mr Tom. Her extensive list of awards includes the Costa Prize and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award.