Letters from the Lighthouse: ‘THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION’ Guardian: 1

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It must have been really hard to leave your family, go to a different country and try to speak a new language. An inquisitive and caring protagonist, supported by a wonderful cast of secondary characters, makes this an engaging and appealing historical fiction that young readers, and in particular fans of books such as Good Night Mr Tom and The War That Saved My Life, will treasure. We weren’t even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.

I read through the book beforehand and then timed my teaching to coincide with the book so that my children were able to better visualise what I was teaching them. Straight from the opening few chapters during the London blitz, it’s becomes clear on how much attention to detail the author try’s to explain what life was like during this time to younger readers. Both Olive and Esther show great courage and strength in challenging these prejudices from both children and adults, prejudice born of fear and ignorance. I found the characters really interesting and there were some really exciting twists and turns but at times I found the plot a little bit confusing!The book is packed with mystery and suspense which made me want to read it as I love mystery and history books. Soon Olive finds herself caught up in a dark mystery linking the disappearance of her sister Sukie with a strangely coded message. From Nobel Laureates Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter to theatre greats Tom Stoppard and Alan Bennett to rising stars Polly Stenham and Florian Zeller, Faber Drama presents the very best theatre has to offer. Late night meetings behind closed doors, mysterious communications, maps, foreign words and furtive conversations.

The author conveys the relationship between these two younger siblings beautifully; Olive’s love and care for her eight-year-old brother is palpable. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. These paint a grim picture of the war, but remain suitable for younger children and should not cause any problems for your class. Once in Devon, intrigue ensues and mysteries abound as Olive uncovers a secret mission led by those who take her and her brother in.This book was truly eye opening and it has taught me a lot about the different lived experiences of WW2.

Mystery and suspense have been cleverly woven throughout the book and never feel forced, instead giving children a hook to keep wanting to come back to the story.We weren't even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.