There are many excellent children’s books covering this period, but here are my top recommendations for reading aloud. Of course, all stories about wartime will contain potentially upsetting material and need careful handling, but all of these books are sensitively written for a young audience and give very positive messages overall.
I have not included my usual number of recommendations for Y3/4 with this one, as it is probably not a topic best suited for this age group. But it you do want to cover it, or if you have a mixed-age class including younger KS2 children, Wave Me Goodbye is one of the most accessible, if not perhaps the most original, books available. It is a ‘classic’ evacuee story with good period detail. As you would expect from a wartime story, it is sad in parts, but with Jaqueline Wilson’s usual warmth, charm and sheer readability.
As an alternative, Shirley Hughe’s sensitive (older children’s) picture book, Ruby in the Ruins, actually deals with the period immediately after the war, but is nevertheless an excellent introduction to what the those times meant to many children. It is also a tribute to a children’s author/illustrator who is rightly a national treasure.
Years 5/6:
Engagement level:
Despite each featuring a lighthouse, these two stories are quite different. However both are well written yet accessible. Each gives a strong feel of life for children during WWII whilst offering a strong storyline with intriguing mystery and exciting climax. Take your pick.
Stretch level:
Phil Earl’s book is a powerful, if harrowing story of a boy in London during the Blitz. His developing relationship with an old gorilla, left behind in a closed zoo, will make it a sure-fire hit with those children who can cope with its strong emotional journey.
Dan Smith’s is a multi-layered book that interweaves an atmospheric ghost story with a grim account of its refugee protagonist’s recent experiences of war. It is beautifully written, moving and thrilling, with messages for today as well as yesterday.
Both are brilliant, if challenging.
Modern classics:
Here are two oldie-but-goodies, too.
Noel Streatfield, actually lived through the war herself and, although her writing has something of an old-fashioned feel today, this actually suits the subject matter well. The story line is strong and this evacuee tale (first published 1974, but recently reissued) makes up for its age with telling detail and an authentic voice.
Michelle Magorian’s forty-year-old story about another evacuee remains for me the finest ever written on this subject. It has been deservedly popular with schools for many years. But be warned. It is a rather long book and it packs a huge emotional punch that both teacher and children need to be able to deal with.
(Practical tips and helpful suggestions for planning regular ‘Story Time’ can be found in the NOTES PAGES of this blog.)
