“A triumph.” —Philip Pullman, bestselling author of the His Dark Materials saga
Four young lives across Europe are forever changed in the dawn of World War II in this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel from award-winning author Hilary McKay.
In England, Ruby has no friends because of the speckled blotches on her face that kids say look like dirt. And Kate is sickly all the time, her older siblings each taking turns looking after her. Ruby and Kate’s first meeting is nearly disastrous, but the two lonely girls soon strike up a friendship. Their connection becomes all the more important when England joins the war against Germany and the blitz begins overhead.
In Germany, Erik and Hans are best friends filled with plans for their future: Erik taking over their beloved local zoo, and Hans serving pastries right outside the gates. They never expected to be forced to join the national service, training as pilots and tasked with hurting people.
And in London a mistreated dog roams the streets looking for handouts, and for a friend.
All of these lives will cross in the most surprising ways in this heart-rending tale of war and compassion, and hope that can be found in even the most unexpected friendships, brought to life by award-winning author Hilary McKay.
From the Costa Award-winning author Hilary McKay, comes a moving WWII story of family and friendship on opposite sides of a devastating conflict. The Swallows' Flight is the stunning companion novel to The Skylarks' War.
Erik and Hans are German boys. Ruby and Kate are English girls. They grow up in worlds that would never meet, until war tumbles their lives together.
Then one September afternoon there are choices to be made.
How is courage lost, and found?
Who is really the enemy?
And what does friendship truly mean, in the middle of a war?
Meanwhile Rupert and Clarry work secretly for peace – and a brighter future for them all . . .
From acclaimed author and Costa winner Hilary McKay comes The Time of Green Magic: a beautiful, spell-binding novel about a new families, a magical old house and a mysterious cat . . .
When Tom and Polly marry, blending their single parent families together, their children find it hard to relinquish their old lives. Max realizes his birth dad will never come home now, while Abi suddenly finds herself a middle child, expected to share far too much - especially with grubby little Louis. The family start over together, stretching their finances to the limit and renting an eerie, ivy-covered house, big enough for all of them.
But when the children are alone there, strange things start to happen. Worried, Louis summons comfort from outdoors, and a startling guest arrives - is it a cat, or an owl, or something else? Abi reads alone, tumbling deep into books. Max loses his best friend and falls in love.
Meanwhile, Louis' secret visitor is becoming much too real. And when Max and Abi too start to see the great spotted cat-thing that arrives in the night, it becomes a problem the three of them must find a way to solve - together. But where has the creature come from, and how will he get back?
Winner of the Costa Children's Book Award 2018.
The Skylarks' War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay.
Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert. But normal life resumes each September - boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer.
When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them. Can their family survive this fearful war?
When Robin Brogan comes down with chicken pox, he doesn't think it's really so terrible. After all, it gets him out of acting in the school play. And since his best friend Dan also has spots, they are staying together at Robin's house in England overlooking the ocean. When the hours begin to drag, Robin's mother tells stories about a wonderful summer she spent in their shoreline house. Bit by bit, the boys learn of a strange girl who mysteriously appeared on the beach long ago and shared her secret cave with the children playing there. But late in the summer she left suddenly, never to be heard from again. Hilary McKay has earned critical acclaim and numerous awards for her novels for children. This intriguing tale captivates readers with its appealing mix of past and present and the delightful surprise ending. Narrator Ron Keith's dramatic performance highlights the humor and poignancy, along with the frightfully delicious touch of the supernatural.
Nothing is quite the same at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies since Sara Crewe went away with the Indian gentleman. Lavinia is once again the girls' leader, but she hungers for a more interesting life. Lottie is still busy making mischief, as is the new neighbor, the red-headed boy. Alice, the new maid, brings a breath of fresh air and slapdash practicality to the school. But Sara is much missed - especially by her best friend, Ermengarde. Can Ermengarde find her own way and be happy? Will she and Sara ever be able to be friends the way they were before? Hilary McKay opens the door to Miss Minchin's again and invites listeners to take a peek at the new adventures beginning in a beloved tale.
Feisty Rose takes center stage as the highly original Casson family faces a long, hot summer. As usual, things are a bit chaotic. Eldest daughter Caddy is now engaged to darling Michael, and she's not altogether sure she likes it. Saffy and Sarah are on a mission to find Saffy's biological father (while cultivating hearts of stone). Indigo is cautiously beginning a friendship with a reformed bully, who desperately wants to feel like part of the Casson family. Rose, while missing Tom (who none of them have heard from) dreadfully, enters into a life of petty crime, shoplifting small items until her misadventures nearly bring disaster. Through it all, Rose's single-minded determination to find Tom remains as fierce as it is hopeless. Or is it?
Hilary McKay has painted the fond mayhem of this delightful family with such humor, warmth, and authenticity that readers will fall in love with them all over again. Once you've visited the Casson household, you may never want to leave.
It's back to school for the start of a new term. Indigo's returning after a bout of glandular fever and is dreading it. Rose is worrying about Indigo-and her new glasses. Saffy is busy dictating Rose's homework answers, while Caddy agonizes over ways to dump her current boyfriend. And their mother, Eve, is busy trying to dry her latest painting with a hairdryer.
Some things never change. But this term Tom has joined Indigo's class. And that will make all the difference . . .
Saffron's two sisters, Cadmium and Rose, and her brother Indigo were all named from a color chart by their mother Eve, a fine-arts painter. When Saffron, known as Saffy, discovers that her name is not on the chart, it soon leads to another discovery. She has been adopted.
Life in the Banana House, as their home is called, is never dull. Caddy, the eldest, is taking driving lessons from an instructor who happens to be a very attractive young man. Indigo dreams up ways, sometimes quite dangerous, to conquer fear. Rose, the youngest, has learned how to get her own way without upsetting the other. As for Saffy, all she remembers from when she was very small is a stone angel in a garden in Italy. With the help of a newfound friend, Saffy sets out on an adventurous and sometimes hilarious search for her angel.
