FIVE WAR-TIME READS FROM CATNIP

Hello and Merry New Year to you all! And talking of New things, I (Editor Liz) would like to introduce the lovely Beth, Catnip's new part-time editorial assistant. As well as helping with all things Catnip and fishing me out when I disappear under piles of paper and books, Beth will also be sharing blogging duties. Today she is writing about Linda Newbery's SOME OTHER WAR, which we  reissued at the end of last year.


FIVE WAR-TIME READS FROM CATNIP

In 2014 Catnip reissued Linda Newbery’s wonderful WW1 novel, SOME OTHER WAR. So below is our selection of five Catnip books that tell stories in times of conflict. You can also find Booktrust's list of WW1 books here and those brilliant people at Barrington Stoke have set up Reading War, a site providing online resources for the WW1 novels they published last year: Tom Palmer's OVER THE LINE, and TILLY'S PROMISE, also by Linda Newbery.  

SOME OTHER WAR by Linda Newbery

The story follows the lives of twins Jack and Alice, as war tears them apart and changes their lives. Alice is caught between hope and fear as her brother and Edward (Alice’s blossoming romance), go away to fight, leaving her wondering whether war has taken the two men she loves most. Linda’s writing is gritty, realistic and stimulating and allows children to explore the tragic chaos of the Great War.

TROUBLE ON CABLE STREET by Joan Lingard

1936 . . . London’s East End . . . Riots are brewing as economic depression rages and the British Union of Fascists grow increasingly powerful. Fourteen-year-old Isabella is facing her own troubles when her brother William runs away to fight for revolution and her other brother, George, is being lured in by the fascists. Isabella wonders what kind of a future she can hope for in a time where nothing is certain and trouble lurks on every corner. Joan’s engaging and fast paced story perfectly captures how life was for people at the time. 

EVERYONE A STRANGER by Victor Watson

*Winner of the Children's category in the East Anglian Book Awards 2014*

War is over and the soldiers are returning. Some are strangers, some are friends. Molly and Abigail must accept the changes around them, but when something happens to their friend Adam it turns their world upside down. Victor crafts an atmospheric and fascinating story about a post war society looking forward to a brave new world.

THE WAR AND FREDDY by Dennis Hamley

Freddy is three years old when the war begins, and soon he realises that blackouts and rations are all he really knows. Freddy knows that life during war can still be fun, but he misses his father and wonders if he will ever get to see him again. Dennis’ story brilliantly brings history to life for young children. Through Freddie’s eyes, Dennis reveals the truth about wartime life in a sensitive (but sometimes humourous) way.

THE FILE ON FRAULEIN BERG by Joan Lingard

Kate, Harriet and Sally love to read spy stories and imagine themselves dropping over enemy lines. So when Fraulein Berg arrives to teach at their school the girls decide that she must be a spy and make it their mission to discover the truth. But what the girls find will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Joan tells a powerful and intriguing story of wartime prejudice.