The Island Bus
by Elisabeth Beresford (Methuen, 1968); ill. Gavin Rowe (Magnet, 1977)
A gentle MG book that makes the most of its remote island setting. Themes of childhood idyll and disappointment, change, and appreciating what’s valuable in life, all emerge naturally, entwined with a notably indifferent/one-sided holiday friendship that develops between the two protagonists.