As a locally-based children's author, I was very upset to learn of the demise of Kendrake Children's Bookshop.

I am frequently asked the question, "What should I read next?" and in response, I have been pointing children and their parents in the direction of Kendrake's for years.

It was a place where the staff knew their stock, and could make informed and inspired recommendations.

Choice seems to be the latest buzzword, in everything from healthcare to education. When are we going to sit up and realise that the real agenda is narrowing the options?

We now have identical jeans, t-shirts, Coke and burgers from Bristol to Edinburgh, Reykjavik to Mombasa. Why should people choose to shop in Sutton, if all they're getting is more of the same?

ELIZABETH KAY Worcester Park