THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY

by Kate Thompson (£19.99, Hodder & Stoughton, HB) London 1944. In Bethnal Green tube station, while the bombs rain down above, a hidden community works tirelessly to run thousands of bunk beds, a café and a theatre. What’s more, Clara Button has built London’s only wartime library, which she manages with her closest friend, Ruby. It’s a place of solace – until the forces of war threaten to destroy everything… A powerful, earth-shattering read.