Hettie and the London Blitz: A World War II Survival Story

by Jenni L. Walsh, Jane Pica (Illustrator)

Overview

London schoolgirl Hettie hears the whispers and sees the worry creeping across her parents' faces. She watches as the windows in her home are blacked out. She helps her dad build a bomb shelter. She learns how to wear a gas mask. War, led by Adolf Hitler, is stomping its feet at Great Britain's doorstep, and Hettie knows only one thing for certain: When the bombs come, it will take all the courage she has to be brave and survive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781515883333
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2021
Series:	Girls Survive Series
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	445,269
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Interviews

History made personal by experiencing it through a fictional character;

Editorial Reviews

02/26/2021

Gr 3–6—In this newest installment of the "Girls Survive" series, a 12-year-old white girl named Hettie is the nurturing older sister trying to keep her family together under one roof in WWII England during the London Blitz. Hettie's sick baby sister has recently died, so the last thing Hettie wants is to have her family separate, but many of London's children are being evacuated to safety out of the city. Hettie will have to put on her brave face and convince Dad to let her and her two younger brothers stay in London helping him to prepare their bomb shelter. Once the inevitable happens, Hettie is sent to the country, and she'll have to think of new ways to keep her family together even when they are physically apart. Readers will be touched by Hettie's dedication to her family, her tenderness as an older sister, and her ability to keep happy memories alive from better times. Likewise, readers will be moved by the generosity of secondary characters in the English countryside like Hettie's foster mother who is initially cold, but warms up after sharing her own family story. The book's datelines help readers with the historical chronology of the London Blitz. The word "Nazi" is never used, which is a disservice to children learning about WWII history through this work. VERDICT A flawed yet touching historical fiction story worth adding to the collection.—Danielle Winter, Brooklyn P.L.

School Library Journal