Village Affairs（ISBN=9780618962426）

　　Open the gate to Fairacre, America's favorite English village. The English village of Fairacre may appear idyllically peaceful to passersby, but those who live among its shady lanes always have problems to untangle. When a terrible rumor emerges -- that the Fairacre School is to be closed and the children bused to nearby Beech Green -- the village is up in arms at once. The schoolmistress, Miss Read, suffers agonizing indecision at the prospect, and her situation is made worse when her infants' room teacher decides to leave and the short-tempered Mrs. Pringle becomes more contrary than ever.

　　Miss Read was a teacher by profession who started writing after the Second World War. In additional to her novels, she has written on educational and country matters, and worked as a script-writer for the BBC. She lives in Berkshire, and was made an MBE for her services to literature.

Part One The gumours Fly
　1 Forebodings
　2 News of Minnie Pringle
　3 Could it be Arthur Coggs?
　4 Mrs Pringle has Problems
　5 Hazards Ahead
　6 The Managers' Meeting
　7 Troubles Never Come Singly
Part Two Fairacre Hears the News
　8 A Welcome Diversion
　9 Mrs Pringle Goes to War
　10 Who Shall it be?
　11 Problems
　12 Militant Managers
　13 Other People's Homes
　14 The Summer Holiday
Part Three Fate Lends a Hand
　15 Two Ladies in Trouble
　16 Snow
　17 Renewed Fears
　18 A Battle in Caxley
　19 Doctor Martin Meets his Match
　20 Relief on two Fronts