Judith Eagle introduces her WWII classic in the making, The Blitz Sisters

The Blitz Sisters: 'Destined to be a wartime classic.' Emma Carroll

About Author

Judith Eagle introduces her classic in the making, The Blitz Sisters, which follows a London family through WWII and beyond. Judith is also the author of The Great Theatre Rescue, The Stolen Songbird, The Secret Starling, The Pear Affair and The Accidental Stowaway.

Judith grew up in London with two sisters, one cat, five guinea pigs and three gerbils. As a child she loved reading, history, creating her own comics, and dressing up. Over the years, she has worked for fashion magazines and school libraries and now - her favourite thing - writes books.

She lives with her husband and rescue cat Stockwell in South London.

Interview

February 2026

Judith Eagle introduces her classic family drama, The Blitz Sisters

Set during and just after World War II, The Blitz sisters follows three sisters and their family and friends during the war, exploring their everyday lives and ambitions against the backdrop of war, loss and deprivation.

ReadingZone spoke with author Judith Eagle to find out more about her novel and about the valuable insights that reading historic fiction can bring to young readers.

Read a Chapter from The Blitz Sisters

Q&A with Judith Eagle, introducing The Blitz Sisters

"Reading historical fiction and in particular fiction set during WW2 is a safe way of exploring uncertain times, showing that things
can get better and there is always hope."

1. Which author, novels or experiences inspired you to first start writing historical fiction?

Before I started writing historical fiction, I loved reading it. I was the same age as Anna when I first read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr, and it made a big impression on me. I was in awe of what she and her family had to go through. I also enjoyed junior biographies like Jean Plaidy's The Young Elizabeth and The Young Mary, which described the early years of the young royals.

History was one of my favourite subjects at school, but my teachers used to throw their hands up in despair when I handed in my homework. I couldn't help adding a fictional element to my essays to make them more exciting - when they were meant to be very fact-based and serious! As an author, and someone who has a fear of the blank page, history is my secret weapon. It's an absolute treasure trove of ideas and inspiration.

I really enjoy the research process: finding out what people ate, what they wore, how they were educated, what they did in their leisure time. Books, museums, paintings, photographs are all wonderful resources to help anchor my stories in a particular time and place.

2. Which of your books so far have you enjoyed writing the most?

I have to say The Blitz Sisters! I just fell in love with the sisters and their friends and their struggles and successes! And there is such a rich source of material to draw on from that time period. I read SO much. Fiction and non-fiction, filling four notebooks with my scribbles, plus a 70 page Word Doc with links to photographs and paintings and interesting articles.

3. Who are 'The Blitz Sisters', and what inspired their story - perhaps sisters of your own? - and why did you set it in London during the Blitz?

The Blitz Sisters are Lydia, Peggy and Teddy Linden. At the start of the war, they are newly bereaved and have moved from their comfortable home in Hampstead to a one bedroom flat in Camden Town. As if this isn't enough to contend with, war breaks out, bringing with it a time of great upheaval for the whole family.

I really enjoyed reading WW2 stories when I was growing up, and I wondered if I could combine a second world war setting with my love for the family saga. Three books were particularly inspirational: The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, a sprawling story of one extended family starting in the mid 1930's and going all the way up to the 1950's. Then there's Saplings by Noel Streatfeild which explores the psychological effects of war on one family. And finally Hilary Mckay's The Swallows Flight following on from her equally brilliant The Skylarks War. I adore all these books, they are epic and I had a yearning to try and write one too. And yes, I am one of three sisters. I had lots to draw on in relation to sibling dynamics!

4. What happens in The Blitz Sisters? Why did you decide to follow a single family, through and beyond the war years, and to focus on each sibling at different periods through the novel?

Goodness, a lot happens! The story opens in 1939 when the sisters are respectively 11, 8 and 6. By the end they are 18, 15 and 13 ( I had to make a chart to keep track of their ages - it was very complicated!) During that time, they travel around a lot. From Camden Town to Sussex, back to London (Peckham Rye) and then, when the doodle bugs start to fall, up to the Lake District. Eventually, after the war, they come back to London, this time to Camberwell.

It was very interesting for me to see how each sister would cope with all this upheaval, because they are all very different, as siblings often are. I had questions. How can ordinary life go on when so much change is happening around you? Can there still be moments of hope, joy and happiness when the world feels quite dark?

To really experience the war through each sisters eyes, it made sense to give each of them the opportunity to be front and centre of their particular story. But because I knew readers - like me - would get very attached to each sister, it was equally important to never lose sight of the family as a whole.

5. Did you become more attached to any one of the sisters? What is the thread that brings their stories together and makes the novel work as a whole? Was it difficult to plan this structure?

I love all the sisters and identify with each one of them, as I'm sure a lot of readers will. Lydia is the oldest, most responsible, sensible one. But she does tend to feel under appreciated. Peggy is the headstrong one, struggling at school, and often getting into trouble. Teddy is the empathetic one, worrying too much about other people's problems, and also feeling a bit left behind by her trail-blazing sisters.

The unifying thread is, I think, the idea that at a time of great turmoil and change, everyday life goes on. In the midst of chaos, you can still have hopes and dreams, you can still laugh, you can still have successes and failures, you can still make friends. Always, as the Linden sisters come to realise, the small stuff is as important as the big stuff. And however much darkness comes towards you, light is never far away. In addition to this, it was important to have something hidden that connects each of the sisters' stories, so that at the end there is a very satisfactory coming together. I can't tell you what that is, however, because it would spoil the surprise!

I didn't find it difficult to plan the structure. Dividing the book into three parts felt like the natural, straightforward thing to do. Also, it's a long book, but because it's effectively three books in one, I think young readers will find it manageable.

6. How much research did you need to do into people's lives during this period? Where did you go to find the details, for example British Restaurants, music, clothes and details like the escaped zebra in the story? Are these all based on true facts?

Whenever I start writing a new book, the first thing I do is read. I read a lot of fiction set in the second world war, both for adults and children. You can see some of the books I read in the acknowledgments section of the book.

Then it was onto non-fiction. I wanted my story to be as authentic as possible, so it was important to get the timeline absolutely right, as well as details about everyday life. I visited established archives (Southwark Archives, the Imperial War Museum Archives, the National Archives) as well as local organisations such as the Peckham Society where I could read accounts of real people's lives. The WW2 People's War - an archive of world war two memories written by the public and gathered by the BBC was invaluable in this respect.

All of this, plus extensive internet research, threw up gems such as the Junior Art Course at Camberwell Art School, the escaped zebra (an artist called Carel Weight depicted the escape in a painting, now in the Manchester Art Gallery) the Dead End Kids of Wapping, and the British Restaurants.

Of course the trick is to not overload the story with all this amazing research. Telling the story from the perspective of the sisters really helped.

7. There's a thread through the story about how much women were achieving at this time, in the absence of men. Was that also an impetus to write about this period? What do the sisters and their friends help you explore in women's changing lives?

While there are some strong male figures in the book (Peggy's friend Arno, Mrs Jessop's son Alfie, Mum's friend Sam Wittenstone and his dad Charles Wittenstone), I'm happy to lean into the fact that The Blitz Sisters is an intensely female - though not girly - book.

I loved writing the characters of Aunt Phoebe, Barbara and Mrs Jessop. All these women were strong figures before the war started, but as it progresses, they really come into their own. It was especially interesting and rewarding developing the character of Cassie, the girls' mum. For her, the war is transformational. And it was great watching the girls watching their mum, and with each other's help, beginning to understand how far she has come

8. Why do you feel it's important that today's readers know about the lives of our forebears and specific periods like the Blitz through books like this?

Reading historical fiction and in particular fiction set during WW2 is a safe way of exploring uncertain times, showing that things can get better and there is always hope. It's also an effective way of evoking the similarities between us now, and the people who lived before us. Readers will see that the very things that concern each sister are just as relevant today as they were then. Understanding the past helps us make sense of the present.

9. Do you have another historical fiction novel lined up? What are you writing currently?

I am currently writing a book set in Victorian times. It's my tribute to Charles Dickens!

10. Which are your favourite historic haunts? Are there places that you like to visit when you're looking for inspiration for your next book?

I'm always on the lookout for exhibitions that might spark new ideas. Last month I travelled to Paris to see an exhibition called Les Gens de Paris, which was all about the people who lived and worked in Paris in the 1920's.

I love walking round London and discovering places I didn't even know existed, despite having lived here all my life. One of my favourite museums is The Museum of London - I can't wait for it to open on its new site in Smithfield later this year. When I'm visiting new places if there is a local history museum, I'll make a bee line for it. Last year I was in the Lake District and I popped into the Coniston Copper Mines Museum - which proved to be extremely useful for a future project!

Creative Challenge: It is 1939 and you have been evacuated with your younger siblings to 'a place of greater safety.' First of all, ask yourself these questions: Where is your billet? (A billet was the word used to describe your new temporary home - perhaps a cottage, a flat above a shop, or a farm.) Is it in the countryside? Is it mountainous, hilly or are there rolling fields and quiet lanes? Is your billet with a family? Are there other children? Or is it just you and your siblings with your new carers? How do you feel? Is it scary to be away from home? Do you miss the buzz of the city? Or have you heard about the bombs and are pleased to be out of harm's way? Does the countryside feel unfamiliar? Are the people who are looking after you kind? Or do you feel mistreated?

Writing Task: Every child who was evacuated was given a stamped addressed envelope to write home to their families and tell them they'd arrived safely. Write a letter describing your new home to your loved ones - the letter could be to your mum, or your grandparents or an older sibling who has been allowed to stay behind. Will your letter be upbeat, because you want to convince everyone you are doing fine? Or will you pour out all your worries and plead to come home? Don't forget to use all your senses to describe your situation. Writing what can you see, hear, taste, smell and touch will make your writing feel alive.

School Visits: I offer the following school visits. Large school events (i.e for whole year groups) include my journey to becoming a writer, why history is a brilliant source of inspiration, and how real life events can drive a story. Most of my talks have an interactive element. I also offer events with smaller groups which include a writing element. Schools can contact me via Instagram - @judith.eagle

More from Judith Eagle

The Great Theatre Rescue (Faber Children's Books): Expect thrills, spills and bags of entertainment in Judith Eagle's historical fiction adventure, The Great Theatre Rescue (Faber Children's Books), set in a theatre in 1930's London. When Charley is sent away from the theatre - the only home she has ever known - and it is threatened with closure, she knows she has to find a way to save it. Read a Chapter Extract from The Great Theatre Rescue .

The Stolen Songbird (Faber Children's Books): In The Stolen Songbird, three children are accidentally caught up in the theft of a famous painting, and must find the thief and return it, before their own families are blamed. Set in 1950's London, The Stolen Songbird is an action-packed mystery that also explores friendship, accepting difference and fighting for what is right. Read a Chapter from The Stolen Songbird

The Accidental Stowaway (Faber Children's Books): In The Accidental Stowaway, an exciting adventure set on board a ship, Patch is the accidental stowaway with an eye for trouble; she discovers a mystery on the ship but only has a few days to solve it or she and her friends will be in desperate danger. Read a chapter from The Accidental Stowaway

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