Letters from the Lighthouse: 'THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION' Guardian

Product Information

Letters from the Lighthouse is a book by Emma Carrol. The book is set in February 1941 in London and Devon during WW2. The main characters are: Olive, Sukie, Cliff and Ephriham. February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he's not used to company and he certainly doesn't want any evacuees. This book is about a brother and sister, Cliff and Olive, who are evacuated from London to Budmouth Point during the Second World War. Their older sister Sukie is missing and no one knows if she's still alive. Why was Sukie dressed up like her mother when she disappeared? I found this book full of emotions. I laughed, cried and felt anxious much of the time. My favourite character is Olive because she is adventurous and good at breaking codes. 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. Set during WWII, we follow Olive and Cliff as they’re evacuated to the coast of Devon after months of heavy air raids across London. A coded note links the disappearance of their sister Sukie to Devon, and Olive is determined to unravel the mystery. My Comments

I already know a lot about World War 2 but it made me want to learn more about the people in the boats. February, 1941. After months of air raid bombings in London, Olive and Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast for their safety. Before they leave, their sister, Sukie, goes missing during an air raid, and Olive is determined to figure out what happened to her. While in Devon, Olive begins to unravel the mystery and finds out that her sister is more connected to Devon than she realized. The story is set in WW2, February 1941, about a young girl named Olive and her brother(Cliff) whose big sister gets lost and are evacuated to Devonshire to live in a light house on Devon's edge with a mysterious lighthouse keeper. There, Olive has to solve a mystery of her own: a strange coded letter holding very important information which seems to link her sister (Sukie) with Devon and to something important and impossibly dangerous.

I have read Letters from the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The characters and the setting was descriptive with selective vocabulary suitable for the themes. The story was set in February 1941 at the beginning of the second World War in London and Devon, two very different cities. 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. There is a good variety of characters in the story as their culture, personality and behaviour. I enjoyed this book because there were a lot of mysterious things happening and at some points I didn't want to put the book down. I really enjoyed the character Olive because the liked trying to solve her sisters code whom went missing (the sister is called Sukie). This book has made me want to find out more about history because it is set in the 2nd World War and was very interesting so I would love to find out more. I want to read more books by Emma Carroll because they are very interesting and mysterious. I really understand Olive's feelings when she's on the train and Esther takes Cliff's BEANO. I think she is a kind, considerate person who adores her brother Cliff. My favourite character is Esther because she stands up to the most fierce, and even if she was a bully, that's changed now! I think she is now Olive's best friend and is willing to fight for those who can't. She has made a huge difference to herself since the beginning of the story. She shows why people bully and why they stop, my answer is, they need love and for them to be kind. Esther's story shows no matter what you look like, it's what's on the inside that counts. A beautifully written story about bravery, compassion, understanding, and having the strength to fight for what you believe in. ~ Shelley Fallows Scrisori din far” este o istorie de viață de care te îndrăgostești încă de la prima pagină și pe care ajungi să o porți în suflet mult timp după ce închizi ultima filă. Autoarea creează o adevărată feerie de poveste, desprinsă din timpuri în care camaraderia și respectul pentru om, indiferent de rasă, naționalitate și religie era încă o virtute în sine. Ea aduce în prim-plan personaje diverse, cu accentul pus pe o copilă, care învață pe propria sa piele ce înseamnă toleranța și într-ajutorarea celor din jur, aflați în necaz. Emma Caroll ne poartă pașii până în anul 1941, când Londra pare a fi în flăcări, căci nemții aruncă peste ea bombe peste bombe. Tocmai de aceea, părinții își trimit copiii singuri, în zonele rurale, pentru a îi salva un pic de la toată trauma pe care o provoacă un război de o asemenea amploare. Romanul acesta, atât de potrivit pentru copii și adolescenți pentru a afla ce a însemnat cel de Al Doilea Război Mondial și ce suferințe a provocat, este unul plin de aventură, de mister întreținut prin intermediul unor coduri secrete, dar și unul despre a fi om chiar și în timpuri grele, despre umanitate, comunitate, acceptare, toleranță, iubire de aproape, prietenie, compasiune, creare de legături născute din suferințe mari și bunătate arătată tuturor, indiferent dacă sunt prieteni sau dușmani. Tocmai prin acest mesaj și această uriașă lecție de viață încântă sufletele cititorilor săi autoarea:

I enjoyed reading this book. I found the characters really interesting and there were some really exciting twists and turns but at times I found the plot a little bit confusing! I'm not sure if the history in the book was realistic as I think that Britain did allow refugees to come into the country in the second world war. I am already very interested in WW2. I would like to read more books by Emma Carrol and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I would highly recommend this book to a person who likes adventures and mysteries, and unexpected endings. It's extremely fun and extraordinary. History-lovers would also love this book. The reader really gets a feel for the dangerous living conditions in London during World War II. Emma really described the characters, their personalities and brought them to life. I extremely liked Olive because she reminded me of a friend from Cornwall (caring). I can really imagine living in the war from reading this book as the description can draw a picture in my mind. The main protagonists are Olive and Cliff, a brother and sister evacuated from London to a small fishing village in Devon during WW II. Their father has been killed, their mother appears to be sinking under her grief and their older sister has gone missing after a bombing raid. The author conveys the relationship between these two younger siblings beautifully; Olive's love and care for her little brother is palpable.

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Well what can I say Emma Carroll has brought an enlightened and heart wrenching version of events during WW2 with the poignancy of Good Night Mr Tom and the sad reality of the plight of Jewish refugees trying to flee to the UK. I especially enjoyed this book because I have such an interest for World War II. I would recommend this book to history lovers and gutsy people. What a great little book. Carroll captures the reader's interest right from the beginning and maintains it throughout the book. There are plenty of 'sub' storylines that run throughout the book, creating questions as you read. Why is Esther how she is? Who is Mrs Arby? Why is Queenie the way she is? Why are we not allowed to find out what is in Ephraim's cupboards or the top floor, and finally the big question- Where is Sukie and what does the note mean? Carroll takes the readers on an emotional 'treasure hunt', encouraging us to empathise with Olive as well as gaining an understanding of what it might have been like to live as an evacuee during the war. I couldn't put the book down, and I think it would be an excellent read for upper KS2 children. I adored how the chapter names had relevance to the war. 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 would personally recommend this story a 4 out of 5. The illustrations just let me feel a bit disappointed but overall the plot was enthralling with an original storyline. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -