Perhaps it was the hay box. Perhaps it was the drama that made this book so irresistible for me. When I read this book as a child in California, the world where children who's parents had gone missing could move into a barn seemed so different from the wrold that I knew. At the same time, I felt drawn into this story of hay boxes, making do, and keeping the authorities at bay. I never felt that the book was dated, even though it was published in 1938. What clearly spoke to me was the sense of adventure and family these children had. I think most children wonder how they would make do if their parents were not around. This brilliant read takes you into the lives of five children who had to leave conventional existence behind.
Oh yes, many years latter, while I was living in the UK, I built and used a hay box.