Changes At Fairacre

While Fairacre's new commuter lifestyle causes a sharp decline in enrollment at her school, Miss Read focuses her attention on the ill health of her old friend Dolly Clare.

Three uplifting Christmas tales--"No Holly for Miss Quinn, Village Christmas," and "The Christmas Mouse"--are offered here in one enchanting volume. The English village of Fairacre is a vision of holiday joy, but celebrations of the season do not always go as expected.

A trip to Florence with her friend Amy is a bright spot in Miss Read's retirement; Henry Mawne's complaints about his new wife and John Jenkins' persistent offers of marriage are not.

Miss Read, the headmistress of Fairacre School, learns of a proposed new housing development that soon has the citizens of Fairacre up in arms.

"Village School" introduces cheerful schoolmistress Miss Read and her lovable group of children, who are just as likely to lose themselves as their mittens. 18 line drawings.

Another delightful Fairacre novel from the bestselling author Miss Read 'No matter how devoted, dedicated, conscientious and altogether noble a teacher is, I feel pretty sure that each and everyone feels the same sense of freedom and relief from her chains when the end of term arrives...' So it is for Miss Read - but on the very first day of the long summer holiday she falls and breaks her arm. Instantly, all her plans for the holidays are in tatters. But Miss Read's friend, Amy, comes up with an idea: and so it is that the two of them leave Fairacre for the island of Crete. The change of scene provides a welcome break for both women, giving Miss Read the opportunity to recuperate, and for them both to discuss the merits of single and married life. And when Miss Read returns, refreshed, to Fairacre, she is ready to tackle the problems which await her...

The village and school have modernised over the past 100 years with many advancements. Unfortunately now, cottages are being bought by outsiders and the numbers at the school are so low that closure is threatened. Dolly Clare is now in her final illness but life is stimulated by the energetic children and the bristling indignation of Mrs Pringle.