Our Castle by the Sea
ISBN13
9781911490524
Review published
06/01/2019
By Reviewer
Jacqueline
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Lucy Strange
Age range(s)
9+
Review
Set during the first few years of World War II, this is the story of Pet (Petra) and her family, who live in a lighthouse on the Kent coast. The lighthouse stands by the Daughters of Stone, a group of four standing stones and this story cleverly combines ancient legends with the coming of war. Pet is young and scared for a whole host of reasons, not least the war itself. Her big sister Mags is growing up and becoming more distant and her mother, who is German, is becoming unpopular in the village with the start of hostilities with Germany. Village life by the sea is vividly captured and details about the lighthouse itself create the central focal point for the story. This book ramps up the tension from the start; the reader knows something is about to happen, but it is not a predictable story line. In fact, there was only one bit of the plot I guessed beforehand, and it is this aspect that makes it a very exciting read. It is also a story told from a point of view with a different slant from other children's wartime fiction. There are little details that make it thought provoking, such as the passing of laws about enemy aliens, and these have strong echoes with the current situation about immigration. Many schools cover World War II as part of their history curriculum, and this book is a very good addition to the reading material available for Upper Key Stage 2. Classes studying life in England during the war will have plenty to ponder on and as it is not about evacuees or life in the city, it makes it a welcome extra fiction title for the topic. Chosen as an Indie's Bookshops book of the month, this is a haunting story that will stay with you long after you have turned the last page and I have to confess I shed a few tears at the end! 336 pages / Ages 10+ / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris, teacher.
