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

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I think we can learn a lot from this friendship as it shows us that prejudice and discrimination can be overcome by empathy and mutual understanding. She let Esther stay at her house because she was sympathetic towards this child who had been through some very difficult experiences.

Chapter by Chapter Resources - National Book Tokens

The main theme of this book is how peopole have to leave home to fight for their country but Olive soon realises that her father isn't coming home. I enjoyed this book because it is set in the war and it gives you the feel of what it was like to be in it. The book was quite grabbing for me and I would definitely recommend this book to other people who like history like me. Letters from the Lighthouse PDF is a heart-warming World War II novel written by British author Emma Carroll.In Letters from the Lighthouse, Carroll not only captures the past with an engaging and affecting narrative but shows herself to be a leading historical novelist for children.

Letters from the Lighthouse - Historical Association

The story might tread similar territory to other books set around this time, but I feel it’s important to continue to teach youngsters about this bleak period. I can really imagine living in the war from reading this book as the description can draw a picture in my mind.

The story serves as a poignant and timely reminder that understanding, respect and compassion can defeat prejudice and bigotry. The characters include a mature girl named Olive, her older sister Sukie who has a strange pen pal, her younger brother Cliff and her widowed mother. A lovely resource pack containing a role-play letter from Marcel a lighthouse keeper, who needs help to make a new lighthouse. After months of air raid bombings in London, Olive and Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast for their safety. When Olive and her little brother Cliff are taken to the cinema as a treat by their older sister Sukie they find themselves in the midst of an air-raid, and Sukie, last seen by Olive talking to a young man, has vanished.

Letters from the Lighthouse | BookTrust

Each character feels necessary, and it’s clear that Emma Carroll has put a lot of thought into what each one can bring to the story. I read through the book beforehand and then timed my teaching to coincide with the book so that my children were able to better visualise what I was teaching them. Yet amongst this close-knit community, she discovers a mystery which ties Sukie to a plot as dangerous as it is mysterious. My main critique is that the pace of the book seems to soar at some points meaning particular sections feel rushed. After Suki's disappearance, Olive's mother fears for her children's safety and evacuates them to Devon where they stay in a lighthouse.After being evacuated, Olive and her brother Cliff are evacuated to Devon and the only place available is a lighthouse. I also found the book very realistic because it is set in World War II and this book has made me hungry for more information. The author conveys the relationship between these two younger siblings beautifully; Olive's love and care for her little brother is palpable. It lends itself very well to teaching a WWII topic to a class, as the prolific use of wartime terminology and speech does a fantastic job of educating the reader on specific aspects of the war.

Letters from the Lighthouse | Vocabulary Ninja Letters from the Lighthouse | Vocabulary Ninja

Letters from the Lighthouse has a unique plot which I personally think Emma Carroll has succeeded in to make it a bestseller. Mystery and suspense have been cleverly woven throughout the book and never feel forced, instead giving children a hook to keep wanting to come back to the story. The other characters who are in the book are: Olive, Cliff, Ephraim, Pixie (the dog),Mum and Gloria. Although it is fiction, the book contains a lot of historical contexts and this could be a powerful teaching tool to use across the curriculum.

I felt transported into World War II: the rushing when there was an air-raid siren, why some children wanted to be evacuated and why some children did not, living with rationing and experiencing different lifestyles once evacuated. Encourage your class to make their own lighthouses, inspired by receiving a letter from Marcel the lighthouse keeper, using this Editable Lighthouse Letter and Resource Pack and teach them more about lighthouses for inspiration with the All About Lighthouses PowerPoint. Before they leave, their sister, Sukie, goes missing during an air raid, and Olive is determined to figure out what happened to her. This was an easy read set in World War II, with the book being for young adults, but it is beautifully written.