I received a exclusive extract from Bloomsbury Publishing of "When the War Came Home" by Lesley Parr, in return for an honest review.. However after reading the extract I immediately purchased the book to continue Natty's story.

I read this book with my 9 year old who was engaged from the first chapter. Through 14 year old Natty , we get a gentle introduction to the reality of WW1. We learn about the men who came home and suffering from physical disabilities and "shell shock" or what we could call today PTSD. We also learn about social history of the time. Poverty, unions and sufferagettes.
It is a perfect history lesson for the young teen age group and the subject it dealt with sensitively but effectivily. I highly recommend it.

Lesley Parr has the ability to write immersive historical fiction filled with enough details to bring the reader straight into the characters' worlds. Seen reading this extract, I've enjoyed the full novel. Another winner from Lesley Parr.

Thank you to the publisher for this Arc extract . It was a well written historical story and I will definitely purchase the book itself.

In the aftermath of the First World War, men are struggling with what they experienced in the trenches.
This story deals with this topic in a sensitive and thoughtful way, seen through the eyes of a small girl, forced to move into her cousin’s village. She meets her older cousin, who is haunted by the memories of the war, and friends he lost, and trying to rebuild his life back at home. She also meets Johnny, who is a young lad convalescing locally in a hospital, who cannot remember who he is at all after the war. She commits to helping him find out.
A story of family, bravery, standing up for what you believe in and of dealing with mental health and suffering.

What a brilliant read! This extract made me feel so immersed in the story and I immediately connected with the characters and wanted to unravel everything that was going on. So I ordered the book and it’s just as fabulous as I could have wished.I adore Lesley Parrs weaving of a story and the down-to-earth style that makes the characters and the world building feel real. Wonderful!

A thoughtful, evocative portrayal of post-World War One Wales and the various battles those who fought and those who were left behind face in the years after.

I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advance copy of an extract of this book, and I really got caught up in this, even though I only read the beginning, The characters feel real, their struggles feel real, and I could picture the Welsh settings really well, even though I have never been to those particular places.

The story of Natty and her strong, but slightly reckless mother leaving their home to stay with family is told with warmth and understanding of the different viewpoints of all involved. You can relate to Natty and her hurt, shock, and unwillingness to leave her life behind, as well as to the family grateful to have their son back and happy to surround themselves with family, and to Natty's mother, who wants a better world for her daughter, but is torn as she risks breaking their relationship and way of life in the process. These are weighty subjects for a middle grade, but it works really well, and the struggles of the men who returned, each with a different situation and experience, is really sensitively done.

I really hope I get to read the rest one day.

This is clearly a difficult time - the years after the First World War. This is clearly felt through the author's descriptions. Her characters become real through the real events which befall the strong characters.

This was the decade when resilience was in evidence as solders returned from war and tried (often with difficulty) to pick up normal living. It wasn't easy either, on the home front and this is explored too.

I'd recommend reading this with a box of tissues as it will become personal.

Great so far - I wish there had been more. I want to read more.
Thank you for giving me a glimpse into this world created by Lesley Parr.

I've been chomping at the bit to read When The War Came Home basically since I finished Lesley Parr's 2021 debut, The Valley of Lost Secrets. I was NOT disappointed. As with Valley, When The War Came Home proves Parr has an uncanny ability to reach straight out of the page and into your heart! Once again, the characters in this beautifully written historical novel had me sobbing (by page 3 this time, in the doctor's office, oops!) and getting angry along with them, but they also made me smile and laugh, and left me feeling uplifted - but still a bit outraged.

When the War Came Home might be set after World War 1 - and highlight the PTSD and grief experienced by so many soldiers - but it also features a battle against something many young readers today will have more direct experience: poverty, hunger & social inequity. Parr masterfully weaves these two very different - and quite harrowing - types of struggles together in a way that's accessible to younger readers without trivializing either issue.

Her main character, Natty, is smart and relatable (even as she complains about how her mother's "compulsion" to fight for other people's rights affects their own lives), and her journey towards picking up other people's fights herself is perfectly pitched, and might help young readers to think twice about what they can do! But it's the compelling cast of side-characters - like super-smart, social-activist/chatterbox Nerys & ex-soldier Huw (who made me laugh AND broke my heart so many times I think I'm still recovering) - who really make the story shine. I'm desperate to know what happened next to all of them!

When the War Came Home is another instant classic, and an absolute MG triumph, that I'm sure will be read in classrooms - and reread in bedrooms/living rooms/bathrooms - for years to come. I loved it!

I was given an exclusive extract of the first few chapters of 'When the War Came Home' for review -- and I can't wait to purchase it when it's released in January!

If you've read Lesley Parr's debut, 'The Valley of Lost Secrets', (Waterstone's Book of the Month last January, and recently nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award) you'll know with what warmth and assurance she writes her historical settings and characters, and how her love for her homeland of Wales comes shining through. This time, we're in post WW1 Wales, and the some of the soldiers who have returned from the war are damaged souls. Natty's father was one of the many who didn't make it home, and her activist mother has to make choices between her socialist principles and putting food on the table. Turned out of their flat for not paying the rent, they have to relocate to a friendly village which houses some ex-servicemen who bear deep physical and psychological wounds. I had to reluctantly leave the story at the start of Natty's quest to help an amnesiac young soldier to remember who he is -- and her cousin Huw to forget the horrors he has seen.

The front cover is so eye-catching and lovely, and the illustrations which divide the chapters beautifully complement the theme of the book.

Lesley's second book promises to be another modern classic adventure, but perhaps tilted a little further towards the very upper end of middle grade, with a strong female cast and a really interesting socialist / feminist political details. Lesley writes with such a keen ear for the speech rhythms, her characters are a delight, and Welsh words are sprinkled in like juicy currants in Welsh cake. So far, I think she's pitched it absolutely right for her target audience: PTSD and poverty are accurately but responsibly described, and this book promises to be a warm slice of social history with hope and healing as its goal..

👍👍👍👍👍

Last year, reviewing the Valley of Lost Secrets via Netgalley was one of my reading highlights. Now, ahead of its release in January, I have been lucky enough to read an exclusive extract of Lesley Parr's second middle grade novel, When the War Came Home, also thanks to Netgalley.

When Natty has to move with her mum to a new village, she meets two soldiers who are struggling in the aftermath of the First World War. Huw can't escape the terrible things he has seen and Johnny has no memory of who he is. As Natty tries to unravel a mystery, she learns how to fight for what she believes in and the importance of never forgetting.

My disappointment at only being able to read an extract of this much awaited novel quickly turned to excitement when I realised within the first few pages that something really special is waiting for readers in January. The pacy opening is exquisitely written and, without doubt, as authentically real as The Valley of Lost Secrets. This is an author who has the ability to fully immerse us in a past time and make it look effortless.

For me, this novel moves faster than Lesley Parr's debut novel. The characters jump off the page to the point where you can hear their voices and the dialogue moves the plot along in a way that reminded me of the Billy Elliott script. Not often as a reader have I encounted the gritty, reality of working class life portrayed in such an enthralling way and, coupled with the backdrop of the war, this is already a deeply poignant and emotional read. Not only can I not wait for Natty to unravel the mystery but I also loved the character of Natty's mum and am keen to see how her journey pans out.

So, if you're looking for something to look forward to in the first month of 2022, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to children and adults alike. It's another wonderful history lesson in a book with all the power and emotion we need to really unlock the past.

When The War Came Home is available to pre-order and will be released on 6th Jan 2022. A huge thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for allowing me a sneak peek.

Just a 75 page extract but enough to convince that this will be a very poignant reminder of the cost of war.

A beautifully written portrayal of how long and dark the shadows cast by conflict can be, and how inner battles go on long after the generals declare peace.

A historical fiction novel with a post-war setting. Lively, interesting characters are well drawn from the beginning and Netty as a protagonist is likeable and easy to empathize with. The historical and location details give a good sense of place and setting but there's enough everyday life for children to be familiar with.

This extract left me wanting more and I shall be buying copies for my libraries!

Fantastic extract of When the War Came Home. Natty and her mum have to move in with family after her mum loses her job. The move isn’t something Natty wants, on arrival she meets a young soldier effected by the First World War, and also a family member.
Can’t wait to read the full book to find out what happens next with Natty.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this

This was an extract of When the War came Home.
Despite this being a short extract you get a sense of how good this book is going to be, it's a wonderful taster and from this brief preview I know I will definitely be reading the full book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for giving me the opportunity to read this early extract from When The War Came Home.

I didn’t realise that this book was in the genre of childrens fiction, and the book title appealed to me as I am a fan of books set before, during and after the first and second world war periods. I have to say this was a lovely extract from the book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It is written well and I found it to be a very engaging short read. The characters were so likeable and I got a lovely, heart warming feeling from reading this extract which has left me wanting to know more and see what happens to the characters in it. I think children maybe 10 years of age and above would really enjoy this story and have a better understanding of the effects a war can have on people after it has ended.

With grateful thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
What a wonderful extract looking forward to reading the full book.

I loved Valley of Lost Secrets so was keen to read this new book. I read through the extract without pausing for breath and was truly gutted when the extract ended. I love Lesley's writing style, the description makes you feel as though you're right there with the characters. Full of empathy and allowing us som insight in to how people felt towards the end of the war I foresee this becoming a 'most-wanted' on children's bookshelves for many years to come.

I was thrilled to be able to read an extract from When the War Came Home by Lesley Parr. The first twelve chapters carried me away to South Wales in the time following the First World War. I had a few minutes to dip into the book this morning but quickly found I couldn’t put it down.

When Natty’s mum loses her job at the factory because of her out-spoken views on workers’ rights, they don’t have enough money to pay the rent. Their only option is to move to Ynysfach to live with family on their small holding. This is a completely different life – pigs, goats, kindness and welcome – Natty isn’t sure what to make of it.

All around her, the impact of the war creeps into everyday life. There’s the war hospital with men who can’t remember life before and her cousin, Huw, who has not been the same since. These men have all brought the war home with them. Now they must learn to cope with their new reality and try to make sense of all they have experienced.

Natty shows the reader a world where life isn’t necessarily fair and standing up for what you believe in comes with incredible risk. Things may be changing for the better, but not for everyone.

Much like The Valley of Lost Secrets, Lesley Parr transports her readers to a time when community was the most important thing, before technology took over, when a simple life was everything. This story embraces readers. Touching, thoughtful and honest, this is a powerful story that encourages readers to think about the impact of the horrors of war.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for this sneak peek! I can’t wait to read the rest!

I really enjoyed this sample chapter. Set in Wales just after the first world war it tells the story of Natty and her mum, Ffion. When Ffion speaks out at work about unfair working conditions, she is fired and can no longer afford her rent. Natty and her mum travel by bus to go and stay on her aunt and uncle's farm in a new area, which Natty is really unhappy about because it involves not only sharing a room but a bed with her annoying cousin Nerys. She meets her older cousin, Huw and another local man, Johnny who have both recently returned home from the war and are both deeply affected. Again, I have only read a small sample of the book, but it seems like we will be getting to hear more about these soldiers and with the help of Natty, hopefully we'll find out why Johnny doesn't remember anything at all from before the war. The sample did not include any of the interactive aspects of the book, but that sounds really interesting. I look forward to the book being published.

I absolutely wish I hadn’t requested this book!! I didn’t realise it was an extract and now I’m desperate to find out what happens next. I cannot believe I will have to wait until January to continue this breathtakingly brilliant book! An incredible start - five stars!