Shilling A Pound Pears — Claire Rayner

Running a fruit barrow? Dead-easy thought the younger  members of the Jackson and Cooper clan marooned in London for a hot and dusty  summer. Even Jane, ever sober and practical, thought it could be done. Richard      was dubious, but the thought of some pin-money to spend on his beloved car      was a powerful incentive. Hilary was determined to have a go, if only for      the sake of old Yossell. So they took it on.   That was the beginning. They hadn't reckoned on the murderously early  hours, the jockeying for position at the wholesale market, the problems presented by rash purchases. It was lucky that Hilary had such a firm ally and guide in Peter Minsky. It was through Peter that they learned that someone coveted their pitch -- someone who wouldn't (and didn't) hesitate to use every dirty trick in the trade.   This is a story of city streets, of hustling, bustling crowds in a district      of London where people of all nations argue and joke and buy the day's meal      off barrows in a street market. It has the jollity and vitality of a great  metropolis, and some pretty rough moments as well. It is a story of quite  ordinary young people, right now.