Pony Boy

Set in the early thirties, this excellent story for boys comes from an author who is better-known as a playwright and deals with the escapades of Corky and Ginger, two of the scores of Pony Boys employed to deliver light loads - a common sight in City streets in those days. In the later chapters the urge takes the boys to see the world and they head for Liverpool with the idea of getting jobs on a trawler. Written with humour and understanding, the book is authentic but never old fashioned.

Bill Naughton (1910-1992) was a British playwright and author best known for his plays 'Spring and Port Wine' and 'Alfie', the latter which he adapted for screen in the iconic 1966 film starring Michael Caine. Born in Ireland, he grew up in Lancashire and his writing contains vivid evocations of the impoverished mining communities of the North of England, bound together by ties of family, kith and kin. Bill Naughton won the Screenwriters award 1967 and 1968 and the Prix Italia for Radio Play '1974' before settling in the Isle of Man where he wrote several children's books based on his childhood memories.