Historical fiction which packs a lot in and doesn't shy away from what life would have been like during the Blitz. The reader can see the events of the war through the eyes of the main characters. They have childish, and sometimes shocking, opinions about what is happening. Their lives are tumultuous and there is also discussion of the impact and aftermath of surviving such events. We also learn a little about the impact on the firefighters. Long, long shifts in a hellscape of fire and heat. Running out of water, having to leave one fire to go to another because there is a chance there to save people. Having people desperately flag them down for help and seeing friends and co-workers injured and killed.

The pacing felt a little off, especially as there are few references to the passage of time and chapters are told from the viewpoint of different characters. It felt more like we were constantly rushed from one event to the next than following a storyline. I would have liked to learn more about the main characters, especially Olive who seems to have nothing to her but the Meridians. It's hard to gauge their ages, we eventually learn Franklin is almost 16, but not how long it has been since the start of the book. School leaving age was 14 so presumably they were 13. Other characters presume Franklin is old enough to have signed up so presumably he is tall for his age. It's never clear why his father thinks he is a milksop, except that he wears glasses maybe. Lawrence seems older than the others and we know he is 6ft but he is never assumed to be an older teenager/adult like Franklin is.

This may just be me reading the book as a cynical adult, but I think you do need to suspend your disbelief a bit for this book. There were too many convenient or unrealistic events and plot holes for me to really enjoy the story. A vulnerable character disappears and is not given a second thought once she has served a purpose. A character with an eye for detail doesn't recognise different handwriting. A farmer shooting his pigs, his sole livelihood, for fun when drunk. The climax of the story wasn't as impactful as it should have been because of events earlier in the book, which was a real shame. Rather than being shocked I was just waiting for something similar to happen to before and then suddenly we were at the end of the story.

The narrator, Rosalind Steel, did a good job of portraying emotion and creating varied voices for all the characters. Franklin and Lawrence did seem much older than the girls but I think that was as much their language choices as their voices.

A good book for children interested in what life would have been like during the Blitz. Probably best for 12+ as it doesn't shy away from the trauma and violence.

I liked the narrator of this audiobook and the different voices that she gave to each character, which was essential to enable me to follow the story because this book contains a lot of characters! I found the narration engaging and it was a good pace.

The story itself left me a little underwhelmed, if I am honest. I love McCaughrean's writing, but this lacked cohesion as there were 4 main characters, whose lives were interlinked, but at first (and possibly because I was listening to the story) I found juggling the different narratives a little difficult. This book is set in London during the Blitz and follows the lives and adventures of four teenagers who, for varying reasons, do not leave the city during the war. I liked this aspect of the story and thought it added a new dimension to the huge body of children's books set during WW2. McCaughrean writes about fire-fighting following bombing raids, which I think was interesting and unique, and many readers will enjoy learning about these challenges. It also brought home to me the devastation that people must have felt to lose their entire home and all of their belongings so abruptly. I have read that the author used her father's role during the war to inspire this storyline and I did think it was compelling.

The ending is abrupt and shocking - this is a book which does not shy away from the horrors of war and death. It also addresses child neglect, abuse and alcoholism.

Doesn't pull its punches. Stark and realistic Blitz portrayal.

Four young people avoid the evacuation train and all resolve to stay in London, for various reasons. What follows is their story, as each follows a path that graphically shows readers the reality of WWII for those living with the daily threat and consequences of the bombings.

It certainly shows the human impact of what many children will only know from newsreels and descriptions. Four stories, some based on the author's own father's experiences, show some quite upsetting scenes.

Pretending their school is still open, Olive stays behind in London to stay with her firefighter father as War looms. Laurence has projects he wants to stay and work on, he invents things. Franklin is desperate to find work as a firefighter. And Gemmy is a scavenger, searching bombed-out properties for things of value... some of which might surprise her.

The foursome tour the city as bombs fall and what starts as something quite fun becomes much more serious very quickly. Their friendship, though all are still so young, becomes very much a lifeline and we watch each of them grow up as they experience things no young people should ever have to live through.

It's upsetting at times, knowing this is surely not pure fiction. I wasn't convinced by the voices on the audio version, they seemed too young, but it did bring the story to life as I listened.

Harrowing yet hopeful, another fine bit of writing that brings home the lessons of the past.

For ages 11 and above.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading/audio copy.

This is a very well written middle grade book about 4 kids living through the Blitz. The audiobook is narrated by Rosalind Steele and she reads it clearly, her voice suiting the characters.

The characters are all realistic and have their own story arcs. I think they all fit well within the story and their friendships are genuinely moving to follow.

The only downside for me is the pacing. While reading, I didn't feel the ups and downs of a plot, more a steady stream of points adding up to a book. This isn't necessarily bad, just not a writing style I'm fond of, but the ending does somewhat make up for it.

Overall, it's a very moving and true to life story about WW2. I would recommend it to all ages, but know that it doesn't hold back when it comes to the horrors of war.

Thank you to W.F. Howes and Netgalley for the audio review copy.

I wouldn’t usually download a children’s book to review in all honesty, so I’m definitely not the oracle, and I was a bit unsure how to rate it, but long story short, I was recently a bit aghast at some of the reading content for a school project and this title being set during the blitz made me keen to compare it to the syllabus, I generally believe that if kids are reading it’s great, I don’t set limits by age groups I think children should read based on ability (I do usually pre skim or make sure I am aware of content) and maybe I’m going a bit soft but all of the titles set during WWI and WWII seemed to be really upsetting. Eg The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas.

There are hundreds of children’s books set during WWII and I certainly can’t claim to have read even half of them, but this felt really quite grown up in its content, nothing scandalous or sexual, just kids taking on a lot more than they should during horrific times, I’m not sure how to put it, but it felt like a teen novel delivered in a manner for a younger child’s ability I was reminded of some of the novels I read as a child.

The further into the story I got, the more it dawned on me that actually the book wasn’t “too old” for any age group as such, it was just very factual, and actually that’s a good thing, there’s fun and good times too of course. A very English book!

The narration was nice.

My thanks to W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧