Between the Pages

This (literally) little book is really an essay extolling the virtue and indeed the necessity of children’s fiction. I read it in about 30 minutes, but although it’s short it’s very enjoyable. Rundell makes the point that adults are often ashamed – or made to feel ashamed – about reading children’s fiction, and suggests that we should be proud to read these books that ignite imagination and make readers think. She gives a brief overview of the history of fiction for children and the part about the retelling and passing on of fairy tales was great. If you have a spare half an hour to kill and have any interest in literature, you could do a lot worse than read this.