“A beautiful, enchanting, and memorable book which captured war perfectly and hooked me within its pages.”
—Guardian
“Consistent excellence.”
—Independent, Children’s Books of the Year 2013
“Beautifully evoking the atmosphere of a small rural community under threat, it simmers with tension and intensity.”
—Book Trust
“It is Syson’s beautifully developed characters that make the history come vividly to life.”
—We Love This Book
Description
It’s July 1940 on the south coast of England. A plane crash-lands in the marsh, and sixteen-year-old Peggy finds its broken pilot—a young Polish airman named Henryk. Afraid and unwilling to return to the fight, Henryk needs a place to hide, and Peggy helps him find his way to a remote, abandoned church.
Meanwhile, Peggy’s eleven-year-old brother Ernest is doing his best to try to understand the war happening around him. He’s reading all the pamphlets—he knows all the rules, he knows exactly what to do in every situation. He’s prepared, but not for Peggy’s hidden pilot.
Told in alternating points of view, this is a beautifully written story about growing up in wartime and finding the difference between following the rules and following your heart.
Reviews
“A beautiful, enchanting, and memorable book which captured war perfectly and hooked me within its pages.”
—Guardian
“Consistent excellence.”
—Independent, Children’s Books of the Year 2013
“Beautifully evoking the atmosphere of a small rural community under threat, it simmers with tension and intensity.”
—Book Trust
“It is Syson’s beautifully developed characters that make the history come vividly to life.”
—We Love This Book
