UNDER A FIRE-RED SKY

Thrown together by chance, four English teenagers become unlikely friends during World War II.

As war erupts on the continent, the British government launches Operation Pied Piper, evacuating children in urban centers to safer rural areas. In the carriage of a train bound for Wales, Gemmy, Olive, Lawrence, and Franklin wonder what life holds for them. But when Gemmy jumps off the train before it leaves the station, the other three follow suit. Bonded through this act of disobedience, they explore their home base of Greenwich and its environs, and brilliant Lawrence regales them with stories from history. The teens spin a tale to explain their continued presence to their parents. Gemmy lives in a broken-down van to escape her alcoholic father; Franklin is determined to become a fireman; Lawrence, misunderstood by his parents, works on a mechanical project; and Olive tries to be a dutiful daughter. The four navigate the bombs, shock, fear, and utter senselessness of the Blitz as best they can. The detailed, realistic descriptions of the slaughter are brutal, providing a powerful counterpoint to the resourcefulness, empathy, and compassion the teens develop as they navigate moral challenges. McCaughrean writes with a light touch; her words dance as they show the organic growth of the quartet’s relationships and their nonjudgmental mutual acceptance. This story of great complexity deftly and expertly shows how unconscionable violence can expose the artificiality of many absolutes and boundaries.

Compelling, heartbreaking, and vibrantly alive with hope and courage.