BOOK NEWS
Readers may know Janey Fraser better as author Sophie King. Under her new pen-name she's written The Playgroup. The summary says: "Maria has been running the nursery of St Mark's Primary school for the past three years with warm efficiency. The children love her, and the parents trust her, and she has every right to feel proud of her achievements. But when a brand-new head is appointed, Maria's carefully ordered world is sent into turmoil. Guy has his own very set ideas about how a nursery should be run, and Maria does not take kindly to his interference. But Maria isn't the only one going through a crisis of confidence. When 34-year-old Sadie's son Max joins the nursery, she suddenly finds herself at a loose end. She's still not comfortable with her role as mother and now that her son no longer needs her as much, she's got time to look around her for the first time in three years. She's been so wrapped up in her son that she's not noticed that she's not just lost her identity, but she and her husband have grown so far apart she has no idea what to say to him anymore. However, when the school comes under threat due to local authority cuts, everyone has to pull together to save it. And as Sadie discovers a new direction for herself, and puts her mind to saving her marriage and the school, Maria and Guy find they have more in common than they thought." The Playgroup is out in February.