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When The War Came Home

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The humorous dialogue between Natty and her peers as they engaged in different ways to make the school listen to their demands was so fresh with feeling and honesty. And what I appreciated so much more was that with this story, there was such a beautiful balance to the other two developing relationships that were a part of Natty's new life - two broken beautiful souls that brought the war home with them and could not find a way to move on from it. When the War Came Home' is a new middle-grade historical adventure which I'm sure will become a classic. I read the first part via NetGalley and pounced on it as soon as it was published, finishing it in one delighted sitting.

In the final chapter Akin discusses the refugee and deportee question together. He draws attention to the great number of Muslim refugees who fled the eastern Anatolia region from Russian advances. He also shows how they were treated differently than the Armenian population. While the state struggled to manage the influx of several hundred thousand Muslim refugees, it sought to provide them with food, shelter, and transportation. In contrast, the Armenian population was uprooted permanently in a bloody deportation campaign, with no hope for return. The next time you complain about the lunch served at the cafeteria, think that there was a time and place where children had to fight for hot lunches to be served to them during school. The next time you question what was inside the mystery meat you had for lunch, remember there were young soldiers during WWI who were so cold and starving, that it wasn't the feeling of hunger that was eating away at their hearts, but the sound of 'the tap-tap-tapping of hammers on wood' that was the echo of the preparation for the 'coffins for those of us who’d need them.’ When The War Came Home by Lesley Parr is a charming historical YA novel set after World War I. It is a story that will delight and entertain you whatever your age. Set in Wales in the period immediately following WW1, Lesley Parr's new story skilfully weaves together two strands: the struggle for social justice and the plight of returning soldiers. Set shortly after the First World War, this historical mystery is a compelling read. Natty is cross when Mam loses her job for speaking out against unfair working conditions, as without an income, they cannot pay their rent so are forced to move. They go to stay with Aunty Mary and Uncle Dewi, who run a small farm in the Welsh countryside, but Natty finds it challenging to share a room with her cousin Nerys, who has bags of enthusiasm and never stops talking.

In the village, she also meets two soldiers whose minds are horribly scarred by the war. Can Natty's empathy and imagination solve a mystery that will help them to both to heal? Natty is such an incredible character. Feeling like a lost soul herself, she instantly recognises the look behind Johnny’s eyes and from the moment she hears his story, she is determined to help him remember. Fearless and direct yet sensitive and caring, she has the ability to gain Johnny’s trust and he begins to open up to her. With her help, odd flashes and fragment of memories seem to appear but will it be enough? For what could have been a more emotionally charged topic, Lesley Parr brought such a refreshing sincere look to how Natty's class demanded changes to their lunch system, that you couldn't help but cheer alongside them. Led by her spirited cousin, Nerys, FULL TUMS = CORRECT SUMS is the slogan adopted by her classmates as they begin their strike. I loved the determination and loyalty shown by the students championed - even though, it is a serious matter, there was such a lightness to their methods, that made it such an enjoyable read. 😊 Because that moment, when Huw and Johnny's stories overlapped - my heart was just -- You know that feeling when you're about to uncover something - and there's this tingle in your gut, so unexplainable a feeling that you're about to stumble upon some truth when solving a puzzle or figuring out a clue in a crime scene and you can't believe how it all ties together. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 The author laid the groundwork so naturally - with such subtlety and tenderness, that when the pieces fell together, I felt so anxious - my heartbeat was actually palpitating! That would this be the moment of truth - would the truth come out - would it all work out? Would these young boys who had to become much before their chance to heal from what they have endured? 😢😢

Natty’s fury at her mother’s activism diminishes slowly through the warm welcome of her cousins’ family. It seems they and the village of Ynysfach are keen to integrate the newcomers into their lives. However, it’s ‘Johnny’ at Talbot House, who provides most comfort and interest to Natty. It seems his experiences at the front in WWI have left him as an unknown, somebody being treated to remember who he is and where he comes from. Is there some way that Natty might help?

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Lesley’s Debut novel, The Valley of Lost Secrets is a gripping World War Two drama set in the South Wales valleys. The setting in When the War Came Home is again a small Welsh village in the South Wales valleys but this time set shortly after the First World War. Told in first person through the central character, Natty, makes this a really compelling read. It opens when Natty is not happy when her mam loses her job after speaking out about unfair working conditions, where she worked. With no income they have to leave their home and move to a new area to stay with Natty’s Aunty Mary and Uncle Dewi, who run a small farm in the Welsh countryside. Even worse for Natty, she has to share a room with her very chatty cousin Nerys and missing her Friday night chippy tea in the flat they used to live in above the ironmongers. She has to adjust to a new school where the teacher uses the cane and going home to the farm for lunch as there are no free school meals at this school. After reading Lesley’s first novel The Valley of Lost Secrets this was a highly anticipated book for me and I desperately fought the urge to read the early chapters released on Netgalley – didn’t want to spoil it for myself! Honestly, both books feel like and deserve to be future classics. Highly immersive historical novels and incredibly heart-warming they also incorporate a touch of cleverly written mystery. As Natty tries to keep a secret and unravel a mystery, she finds her own way to fight for what she believes in - and learns that some things should never be forgotten ... This mesmerising historical mystery includes an interactive clue so readers can unravel the mystery alongside the characters. About This Edition ISBN:

If my heart broke for Huw, then my heart hurt for Johnny. Johnny, that young soldier that Natty befriends at the side of the river, a soldier that suffers from 'memory loss with no obvious damage to the brain.'. 💔💔 A solider that Natty is so desperate to try and find a way to have his memory returned, who can't bear the thought that he could live a life without knowing who he is. As young as she was, she tries so very hard to help him from the way she learns how Huw copes with his own grief. And somehow, along the way, one boy's pain becomes the other's, as well, and in that heart-wrenching moment, my heart seized with what was about to happen. 🥺🥺

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When the War Came Home is a story so full of hope, determination, love, family and friendship. It utterly captivated me and had me reading into the wee small hours as I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from the idyllic Welsh countryside and the wonderfully warm, beautifully drawn cast of characters and their spirit and resilience.

The winners of the Diverse Book Awards 2023 have been announced, with one winner from each of the four categories announced: Picture book, Children... After Natalie's mother, the Champion of the Underdog, stirs up trouble at her job at their hometown, she and her mother go to live with her cousins in Ynysfach. Frustrated and upset about leaving her stable life behind, Natty isn't in the mood of being agreeable. But, as she settles into her new life and meeting her cousins, she slowly discovers that when the time is right, it doesn't hurt to reach out to help others and lend a helping hand, especially when the time calls for it. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...

I enjoyed this historical novel for tweens immensely! A mum standing up for women’s and worker’s rights is not a character trait I’ve seen before in a tween novel, and it also helps mould the plot and the growth of the main character. The excitable and always positive Nerys keeps everyone on their toes, with her brother Huw adding a sobering thread. I loved the dynamics of this book very much so and it begins with Natty and her Mam and her Mam unfortunately loses her job through no real fault of her own. It came across that this could be a thing that was seen coming as plans were already in place for them to go and live with the Father’s sister in Wales. Just as Lesley Parr's first book, 'The Valley of Lost Secrets', showed us Wales through the eyes of a WW2 evacuee, her second book is also a warm evocation of that country, with fascinating glimpses of the language and culture. There is a lot to recommend this book for upper KS2 and lower KS3 readers. The characters have depth, with both strengths and flaws, which makes for very realistic storytelling. We see this in the relationship between Natty and her mam. Natty is frustrated by the way her mam stands up for workers’ rights and puts their livelihood in jeopardy and it isn’t until the free school meal battle that Natty starts to understand the importance of standing up for what you believe in and the strength of working together as a community and group to bring about change. This is a powerful, well-written theme throughout the story, which opens up the opportunity to discuss a range of topics, such as the education system, workers’ rights, unions and the suffrage movement. Yiğit Akın's treatment of the Ottoman homefront represents a critical breakthrough in the study of the First World War. Drawing upon highly original and interesting archival sources, as well as previously untapped published material, Akin vividly depicts the many hardships faced by Ottoman civilians during the course of the conflict. The book's artful prose makes it an engaging read for both students and scholars of the war, adding to its critical value for readers well beyond the field of modern Middle Eastern history."

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