Morning everyone!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Hide and Seek by Robin Scott-Elliott. Hide and Seek is a thrilling historical adventure from acclaimed children’s author and former BBC sports journalist Robin Scott-Elliot whose debut, The Tzar’s Curious Runaways was a Telegraph and an Observer children’s Book of the Year.

Summer, 1942. Paris is boiling hot and thirteen-year-old Amélie Dreyfus is hiding in the dark cool of her mother’s wardrobe. The sound of heavy boots signals the arrival of German soldiers and when Amélie comes out of the wardrobe it’s a matter of life or death. With her family swept away by the Nazis, Amelie decides to fight back and joins the Resistance.

As you all know I am a MASSIVE fan of a WW2 story, so when I was able to ask Robin for WW2 recommendations, I jumped at the chance! See these recommendations below!

***

My favourite five World War Two reads

Letters from the Lighthouse

Evacuee stories deserve a category of their own and there are several I would loved to have included – not least Lesley Parr’s Valley of Lost Secrets – but I’m limiting it to one and Emma Carroll’s tale of bombs, war, spies, intrigue and adventure by the Devon seaside is a captivating story that will be devoured for years to come. A classic I reckon.

When the World Was Ours

Liz Kessler’s story of three friends in pre-war Vienna alternates between the point of view of Leo, Elsa and Max and serves to hurry the story towards the horrors that await them. How Nazism invaded every corner of the country and its people, and how Leo and Elsa, who are Jewish, come to realise what it means for them and their friendship with Max is brilliantly told. 

Red Stars

I’ve long been fascinated by Russia – I set my first book, the Tzar’s Curious Runaways there – and was looking forward to this as soon as I saw the cover. It lived up to all my expectations. Davide Morosinotto cleverly uses photographs and ‘official’ documents – twins Viktor and Nadya are under investigation for their wartime exploits – to add an extra layer to what is a cracking adventure story that plays with history. Five stars for Red Stars. 

White Bird

There is a scene near the start of the book where Sara has to wait outside an ice cream parlour while her friends go inside. She leans against the window, next to a sign declaring ‘Jews are not allowed in here’. It is a striking, memorable image and this graphic novel has plenty of such moments. A compelling and ultimately uplifting read from RJ Palacio.   

Diaries of Anne Frank

I first read Anne’s diaries when I was a teenager, around the age she was when she wrote them, and read them again as an adult, a parent. It’s a book you cannot forget. The entries are so full of life, the hopes and fears and turmoil of a teenager, and all while in hiding with the daily threat of discovery and what that would lead to – what it did lead to. Everyone should read Anne’s diaries, as a child and then again as an adult.

***

A massive thanks to Robin for stopping by on my blog! Remember to check out Hide and Seek!

Hide & Seek by Robin Scott-Elliot publishes in paperback for 9–12-year-old readers on 12 August from Everything With Words.

S x