When The War Came Home
Lesley Parr
When The War Came Home
Lesley Parr
12-year-old Natalie is furious when her mum, Ffion, loses her factory job for sticking up for workers’ rights. Now they have to leave their home and go to stay at her uncle’s farm. The last thing Natty wants is to buddy up with her know-it-all cousin, Nerys. Natty gets on better with her older cousin Huw, despite the fact that he’s returned from the front line of WWI and his mood can be unpredictable.
Instead, Natty finds herself making friends with two convalescing soldiers with very different conditions. Maybe spending time with them will give her a way to help Huw? One of the soldiers, Johnny, is suffering with amnesia and Natty is determined to help him discover his identity.
Before she knows it, Natty is drawn into a mystery where the answers to who Johnny truly is lay closer to home than she could have ever imagined …
Review
Athina Clarke
This beautifully crafted historical adventure is set in the 1920s, amid the small, tight-knit community of a Welsh village.This is where our plucky protagonist, Natty, struggles with challenges on multiple fronts. She blames her mother for everything, from the loss of her home and school to the two of them having to resettle with family in Wales.
Even though their extended family are incredibly supportive, and her cousins welcoming and loving, Natty’s fury seems boundless. But when she meets a young war survivor who’s lost his memory, she’s able to put aside her personal woes and focus on making a meaningful difference by helping others.
The story here flows beautifully, deftly exploring the aftermath of war on communities. The social deprivations of poverty and unemployment, grief and the need to belong are all handled with enormous compassion, warmth and sensitivity.
This perceptive and moving novel of hope and ultimately joy will strike a chord with independent readers ages 9 and up, especially those who’ve enjoyed The Valley of the Lost Secrets, The War That Saved My Life and stories by Michael Morpurgo. Highly recommended.
Athina Clarke is from Readings Malvern
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