The Ghost of Ivy Barn

Mark Stay's Woodville books deal with the magical awakening of a young Kent girl in the early 1940s, as World War II is underway and England is threatened by German invasion. Faye Bright and the rest of the cast are well drawn and engaging. The village feels like a real place, and the period is evoked without drowning the reader in research. This is the third in the series, and like the others it's a great comfort read that stays just the right side of twee. They're not going to change your world, but they will make it a nicer place for a couple of hours. If you've ever had too much cheese before bedtime and dreamt of Terry Pratchett writing a Dad's Army novelisation then these are the books for you.