It is the school summer holidays of 2001. Holly, 12, and her sister Beth, 9, are in their Brighton beach hut one day when there is a knock at the door. Marjorie, the little girl they meet, is somehow different, strange. But very soon a friendship develops that mysteriously transports them to the summer of 1914 and the eve of the outbreak of war. Extraordinary encounters and adventures follow for Holly and Beth, but who is Marjorie and why has she come into their world? Holly is determined to find out. But why are Mr Jim, the beach hut man, and his grandson, Jamie, the only people who can see Marjorie and why is the frightening Gypsy Marigold Merry so alarmed when she looks into her crystal ball and sees Holly's future? With only one day left before they leave for France, the sisters discover - through a most unexpected route - the true identity of their new friend. Jacky Atkins lives with her husband in Cobham, Surrey, England. They have four children and five grandchildren. Although she has had short stories and poems published, The Mysterious Beach Hut is her first novel.