Tales of the Cobb Street Commandos

By Author / Illustrator

Tony Bradman

Genre

Historical Fiction

Age range(s)

Publisher

Faber & Faber

ISBN

9780571388127

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

18-06-2026

Synopsis

Join Jimmy and his friends in a new, action packed adventure series, specially designed for readers learning about World War II for the very first time!

It's 1941 and the Second World War has transformed London. All the adults are doing important things and playing their part. Jimmy and his friends want to be in the thick of the action, doing whatever they can to keep the East End safe. So they form a top-secret group called the Cobb Street Commandos.

Houses become hidden headquarters for official CSC meetings. Abandoned warehouses turn into their personal training grounds. They create helmets from cardboard and training tools from old scraps of wood. They know how to be creative and are more than ready for battle. The only thing missing is a mission for them - until now, that is.

Join Jimmy and his friends in action-packed adventures around the city as they raise money for Spitfire planes, train alongside soldiers and go on daring missions to meet the prime minister - Winston Churchill himself! With striking illustrations throughout by Aleksei Bitskoff.

'Exciting and thought-provoking.' Tom Palmer, acclaimed author of After the War. 'A delightful, fact-filled book about London under siege in World War II.' Francesca Simon, Best-selling author of Horrid Henry. 'Very much my kind of book.' David Long, Blue Peter Award-winning author of Survivors. 'Cheeky, pacy and full of charm.' Jasbinder Bilan, Costa Award Winning author of Asha and the Spirit Bird. 'A funny, easy to read, fact-filled caper.' Judith Eagle, author of The Blitz Sister.

Reviews

Jacqueline

Set in WW2, in London, Jimmy and his friends want to be part of the action and so they form their own commandos group. The only thing missing is a mission. Then several missions arrive at once and the gang are sent on a series of adventures, raising money for Spitfires and supporting the local Home Guard, among other things.

Tales of the Cobb Street Commandos is a lot of fun. Filled with historical information, it a an easy to read adventure with some wonderfully madcap illustrations by Aleksei Bitskoff. The characters are just great and instantly memorable, both good and bad. The text is quite large and well spaced and this fits nicely in the crossover between younger readers and Middle Grade. Better still, another adventure is on the way!

160 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher