Letters from the Lighthouse: ‘THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION’ Guardian: 1

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Just purchased and note from you reply to an earlier review that you have a planning document - please could you share this with me also as it would be helpful : ) Thank you, Lisa. In the year before the start of World War Two, 10,000 children fled Hitler’s Germany to the safety of the UK.

It tells the reader about all the difficult times that people faced during the war, such as Kindertransport, Hitler and deciding whether to evacuate your children.Set during WWII, we follow Olive and Cliff as they’re evacuated to the coast of Devon after months of heavy air raids across London. I'm not sure if the history in the book was realistic as I think that Britain did allow refugees to come into the country in the second world war. When Olive is caught in an air raid, her mum decides that it is time her children were evacuated out of London and she is sent, with her brother, Cliff, to live in a small coastal village in Devon. I am sick and tired of the "mean girl becomes your bestie" trope that plagues contemporary kids' fiction. The illustrations just let me feel a bit disappointed but overall the plot was enthralling with an original storyline.

I would definitely recommend this for UKS2 to really get to the heart of some really challenging and emotive issues. The mystery at the heart of the story holds an ongoing fascination, absorbing the reader with each little 'reveal'. The Times praised it as “a powerful story that sensitively portrays the impact of war on ordinary lives”. Emma Carroll has a wonderful takent for bringing historic events to life for today’s young readers and with Letters from the Lighthouse continues to create an enthralling, thrilling read, whilst introducing situations and characters that are still relevant in our world today.There are echoes of Michael Morpurgo and Nina Bawden, but in a style of her own Carroll (The Girl Who Walked on Air, Strange Star) sews together accessible history with a cracking plot and a character to love in the strong, principled Olive. This book has made me want to find out more about history because it is set in the 2nd World War and was very interesting so I would love to find out more. And then she finds a strange coded note which seems to link Sukie to Devon, and to something dark and impossibly dangerous. The treatment of Jewish people during the war is covered with sensitivity; through the eyes of open-minded, relatable characters, children reading this book are able to gain an insight into prejudice and the power of their voice when speaking out against it. When I had read this book, it made me want to read lots more like it because it made you feel as if you were one of the characters.

This is a fantastic comprehension resource linked to chapter 19 of Letters from the Lighthouse and breaks down different types of questions from the categories: vocabulary, retrieval, inference and comparisons. Your KS2 children will have the opportunity to punctuate the text using colons and also identify when a colon has been used accurately. But the only thing I didn't like about it was that when all the exciting bits ended there wasn't much happening for 3 or 4 paragraphs. Adult characters initially treat a downed German pilot in a threatening manner, including spitting at him.

Your children will be asked to step into the shoes of different characters and give statements from their perspective. A triumph: a finely crafted and deeply atmospheric mystery, with themes of prejudice, refugees and belonging which resonate poignantly with current world events.