Karen Walton thinks her dad is pretty dull in comparison to the trendy dads that some of her school friends have. So when her friends mistake Dave Drummond, the Walton’s dashing next-door neighbour, for her father, she does not correct them and starts pretending Mr Drummond is her father.
Jill Jordan’s parents give her second place to her pretty younger sister Lindy. Then Great-Aunt Eva leaves a fortune in trust to the Jordan family – with the condition that any spending of the money must be approved by Jill. All of a sudden, the whole family is treating Jill like a Very Important Person. But the parents are not happy about the condition and are trying to find a way out of it.
Before Mrs Amelia Weston dies, she asks her maid Cleo Payne to look after her dog Caesar. Mr Crumleigh the solicitor thinks there is another will, but the only one available divides everything among Mrs Weston’s greedy nieces, Beryl and Dora Weston and Lydia Crool. But to get the money they must live together in Mrs Weston’s house for six months and give Cleo and Caesar a home. If Cleo leaves before that time they inherit immediately, so they are trying to drive her out by making her life miserable.
Cindy Brown finds out her best friend Tammy North is going to die from an incurable illness. Cindy resolves to protect Tammy as best she can and hide her condition from everyone, including Tammy herself.
Kate Thomas never seems to be good at anything or be a winner. To find her forte she starts copying people, but it just seems to lead to hilarious blundering failures.
Mandy had a number of complete one-off stories. Some listed below.
Flo’s First Day
Things don’t go to plan on Flo Nightingale’s first day as a nurse, but the child patients think she is great, so maybe there is hope for her yet.
“The Camera Can’t Tell Lies”
Moira and her sister Jane get a job as extras on a film set. They take some photos around the set, when a star’s wallet is stolen the girls are accused, but they are able to prove their innocence with the photos they took earlier.
The Badge of Bravery
Story about Elizabeth Harris a nurse who earned a badge of bravery for her work during cholera epidemic in 1869 in India.
The Disappearing Girl
Complete text story. A girl volunteers for a conjuring act, which is visited by the ghost of the magician’s deceased assistant.
Jane Walker and her younger siblings Tom and Susie are living with Pat Ransome and her family with a view to being adopted. But Jane does not like the way Pat seems to be taking over her role of big sister to the siblings, a role Jane views as her prerogative.
In Victorian times, Janey thought the Megsons were her parents until Mrs Megson confesses she stole Janey from Mrs Wellson, the wife of a wealthy mill-owner. Upon the death of Mrs Megson and imprisonment of Mr Megson, Janey goes to live with her real family. But Richard, the adopted son, resents Janey and is trying to get rid of her.
Dianne Moore falls for Paul Peters, the boy next door, but he does not take any notice of her except as a nuisance. Dianne tries to get closer to Paul by looking after his younger brother Terry. But Terry is a little horror. His tricks keep getting Dianne into trouble and each time, she drops lower in Paul’s opinion.
A mysterious girl named Kyra, claiming to be a relative from Australia, arrives at Melanie Clark’s house. Kyra seems to know little about modern life and arrived in Victorian clothes, which convinces Melanie that Kyra is from the year 1884. Then Kyra reveals she is really from 2084 and was sent back in time to 1884 for a history project. But her timeship crashed, stranding her in 1984. Melanie agrees to help keep her secret.
