Although I love a fast-paced, action-packed adventure – preferably a fantasy or science fiction story – there are times when I need something cosy and uplifting to read, something perhaps much closer to real life events, and for anyone else feeling that way Judith Eagle is an author whose middle grade mysteries I heartily recommend. Populated with strong female characters who when faced with the most challenging of situations always come out on top, I was thrilled when this, her latest title, came through the letterbox. Not a mystery but the incredible tale of three very different sisters whose young lives are turned upside down by World War II, this is one of the very few reads that I would describe as epic, spanning as it does not just the length of the conflict but continuing into 1948, and one that would make a fabulous Sunday night drama for the whole family. At times heartbreaking and at others full of joy, this is definitely one to pre-order ahead of its February release and a read that will stay with me for some considerable time. Split into three sections, with each focussing on each of the three girls, our story opens in 1939 with Londoners Lydia, Peggy and Teddy queuing to collect their gas masks along with their widowed mother. As the Blitz starts to take its toll on the capital, the girls are sent to live with their aunt Phoebe at her countryside home. Here, the oldest sister – budding chef Lydia – quickly feels a huge sense of responsibility towards her younger siblings and tries her best to look after them by taking on cooking for the household but soon finds life with their writer aunt impossible to bear, leading her to take matters into her own hands. When our narrative moves onto 1943, it’s middle sister Peggy that we get to know better. With the girls reunited with their mother and living in London once more, artistic Peggy struggles with the academic lessons that accompany the return to school and starts to bunk off – something that leads her to meet refugee Arno, in whom she finds a soulmate. Discovering that a nearby art school is preparing to take on young students, Peggy determines to be amongst them but when her impulsive actions lead her into trouble, will she be able to make things right again and take the first steps towards fulfilling her dreams of becoming an artist? As the war ends and everyone tries to rebuild their lives and find some new sort of normality, youngest sister Teddy takes centre stage. Convinced that she somehow needs to put all of her family’s problems to rights, together with a family friend the deep thinker and bookworm hatches a plan to travel to Paris on a school trip – not as her mother, Lydia and Peggy believe to improve her French, but to reunite two of her loved ones. But with her one previous trip away from home seeing her sent home after suffering terrible homesickness, will she be able to cope away from the rest of the family? And if she can, will her daring plan work or will it end in further heartbreak for all concerned? Although the narrative continues the family’s story from beginning to end, each part to it almost acts as a separate book as it concentrates on each sister in turn, with the three girls linked by their mutual love but very different from one another. Lydia is determined to use her love for cooking as a steppingstone to a career as a chef but, of course, life is never that simple and in 1940s Britain, girls were expected to grow up to be wives and mothers, rather than breadwinners, something that not only puts obstacles in her way but is also reflected in what we learn of the girls’ mother’s life before and following the death of her husband. Middle sister Peggy looks up to Lydia but feels disheartened by her lack of academic ability. At a time when learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia weren’t recognised, Peggy falsely believes herself to be stupid and is bullied at school by her peers, leading – perhaps unsurprisingly – to her bunking lessons to spend time doing what she excels at, and enjoys: producing art. With her late father being an artist, Peggy sees pursuing this as not just her playing to her strengths but also a way to remain close to him, and it’s clear from the book that during the war, art was very highly valued for the positive effect it had on those viewing it – something that, sadly, seems to be less the case now but hopefully readers will feel encouraged to continue with whatever creative pastimes they enjoy for the pleasure it gives them and others too. In contrast to the others, baby of the family Teddy has been brought up being praised as the intelligent one due to her passion for reading widely and her ability to remember an assortment of quite random facts. Hugely empathetic, she tries her best to ensure everyone else’s happiness, often at the cost of her own, and struggles with the changes the end of the war brings, particularly her guilt at feeling bereft because the sense of community she experienced during the conflict has now vanished from her young life. As we get to know the sisters and watch them grow up, we cannot help but cheer when things go right for each of them and sympathise when things go very badly wrong. Getting the balance right between the good times and the bad in a story such as this is not an easy job but the author has got it spot on here. As the child of a father who was an evacuee, albeit for a very short period of time, and a mother who was born during the Blitz, so much of the book triggered memories of things that they shared with me of their young lives, adding to the sense of reality that the story brings with it and keeping me hooked from the very beginning until the book’s conclusion. At just under 500 pages, this is very long for a middle grade, but it is a compelling read and one that confident readers in Year 4 upwards could quite happily tackle, especially if they are interested in the period of time covered. It could also be used as a class reader to accompany any relevant history topics, although school staff might want to cherry pick one sister’s part to share as a standalone.

Non spoilery review ⬇️ A sweeping historical sister saga that takes place just before to just after the Second World War. At just over 400 pages it might seem like a big chunk of book to read but I raced through it and didn’t even notice how long it was. A future classic in the making that all tweens should read and adults too will enjoy it just like I did. The Blitz Sisters tells the story of Lydia Peggy and Teddy the Linden sisters. Each sister has their own story to tell in their own separate parts that all link together. You can read each part as a short story if you desire, but once you’ve started you will probably want to gobble up the whole book (I did!) Lydia the eldest loves to cook and aspires to become a great chef one day. She’s caring but also is a worrier and worries about looking after her sisters once they are evacuated to the countryside. Peggy the middle sister is the one whos always getting into scrapes she struggles at school but excels in art like her father did. She aspires to go to art school and become an artist. Whilst Teddy the baby of the family is the studious clever one who always has her nose inside a book. Teddy doesn’t know what she wants to become when she’s older but maybe she’ll be clever enough to go to university and become an author. From the first page I was sucked into the Linden sisters world. Judith Eagle cleverly writes a story that feels very cinematic to read, I could picture everything I was reading. I absolutley adored this book and could easily see it becoming a Sunday teatime family drama on the television. Perfect for any tween or middle grade reader that likes Michelle Magorian books. Judith Kerr’s Out of Hitler’s Time trilogy, and if you also enjoyed Lesley Parr’s world war books but want something longer then this is perfect for you.