Very disappointed in this book. For me, it seems to fall into a nether category - attitude and sensibility too grown up for children, but written as if from Nory's point of view. Kind of. Not sure WHAT Baker was thinking. But love his essays (e.g., The Size of Thoughts) and the other books of his that I have read (Vox, The Fermata, The Mezzanine).
Much of it happens in places I visited in the UK. It's quirky and charming.