"What grownups don't know can't hurt them" is the philosophy of Claire Mannering, the leader of a group of ten-year-old children in 'Cardigan' a little rural town in the rich dairying province of Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand. The town is overshadowed by a large, dormant volcano which affects the weather quite considerably. It rains a lot in Cardigan. 'Cardigan' is a story set in 1952 involving the 'Mannering Gang' just seven years after World War Two and during the Korean conflict of 1950 - 1953. It is about children living in an atmosphere of freedom and little supervision during their spare time away from the classroom and their homes. Bicycles are the principle means of transport and the children enjoy roaming the streets and surrounding farmland, swimming in the local swimming pool and in the Alma River which flows down the mountain and through the town. Sadly, these freedoms were eroded over the approaching decades when social-engineering and over protective authorities planted fear in the hearts of parents and children alike that they might come to some harm if they enjoyed their lived unsupervised and without safety measures being take in their play areas. The children in the story certainly took risks and most certainly were naughty. But they also had fun without having their lives planned for them. It was a healthy, adventurous life. 'Cardigan' has a mysterious death and some characters just aren't very nice at all. Just as in real life. But, most of all, the book is about children growing up together in the environment of small-town New Zealand in the 1950s.