This story is about the three Linden sisters, with the story following each in turn as they navigate growing up and discovering who they are against a backdrop of the war and its immediate aftermath. We initially follow the eldest, who is already burdened by too much responsibility following the death of their father, as war breaks out and the girls are evacuated to their aunt’s house in the country. Underappreciated and feeling the weight of expectation on her shoulders, she worries about their grieving mother as bombs start to fall back in London. The second part of the story is set later in the war and follows the impulsive middle daughter, who struggles with her school work (and would nowadays be screened for dyslexia), but has a flair for art and getting into scrapes. With VE Day allowing them all to return to London, we follow the youngest, who lives in the shadow of sisters who have already found their talents for food and for art and are blossoming into young women. She loves learning and facts, but is deeply anxious and longs for the days when they were all together.

I loved this story and would have been absolutely obsessed with it had I read it at eleven. It has Little Women vibes and is set against the backdrop of WWII, with plenty of immersive everyday details that bring wartorn Britain to life. Despite the difficulties and tragedies that war brings to the sisters, and despite the frictions between them and with their family and friends, this book is filled with hope and love. The wider cast of characters and the setting are alive with rich detail that make this book an absolute pleasure to read. It really captures that sense of sisterhood, of family and community and of that tween/teen struggle to find your own place in an ever-changing world. Your upper KS2/KS3 libraries need a copy of this gorgeous wartime story that will surely become a classic.