Mary Ann's Angels — Catherine Cookson

Mary Ann's ‘Angels' are both six years old. Eight years have passed since she married Corny Boyle, and they are now the proud parents of twins, Rose Mary and David, who are inseparable and the apple of their mother's eye. But are they really angels? Rose Mary seems as irrepressible as her mother when it comes to managing other people's affairs and she talks enough for two people. Poor David doesn't stand a chance when she's around, which of course she always is.

Mary Ann and Corny disagree on how to deal with the problems caused by this situation but realize that trouble lies ahead. It takes the combined efforts of Jimmy, Corny's trombone-playing garage hand, and Mr Blenkinsop, a visiting American industrialist, for things to be set right again, and happiness to be restored in the family.

This Mary Ann story has all the charm and humour of its predecessors, and will have the added fascination of showing some of the more engaging -- not to mention the more infuriating -- qualities of this inimitable character coming out in a second generation.