Carrie's war (original 1973; edition 1973)

Reading this book was rather distracting, since some other English Lit student had helpfully annotated it before me. Comments like "she takes refuge in household tasks" and "here gender roles are reasserted" are rather irritating when you're trying to read a book as a child. Carrie's War is set during the World War, and contains little details that place it well in that time -- the gas masks, the trains, the rationing -- in a way that's pretty matter-of-fact. Not "ooh look at me I'm historical fiction", but "this is a story that happens to be set in the World War". I liked the way it was framed by the adult Carrie and her children -- there's realism in the sense of continuity.

It's also very obviously a more modern children's story, since there isn't some big moral front and centre. There's some subtlety in the characters -- you feel a little sorry for Mr Evans, even if he doesn't come across as a very nice man.

And even though it's quite matter-of-fact and realistic, there is magic in it -- in Hepzibah, and in the strange names, and in the Grove and the fragment of skull. Enough that children can find something slightly otherworldly in it, if they want to. I always found magic everywhere like that when I was Carrie and Nick's age. ( )

I read this book as a class I really enjoyed it,I really like history.The film was exallent. It is about a girl called Carrie and her grother Nick. They are evacuated from London to the country side and they go live with a shopkeeper and his sister. They have many adventure's....... ( )

A quiet, gentle book about siblings who leave London to live in the Wales countryside with a shopkeeper and his sister during World War II. ( )

I read this to watch the Masterpiece Theatre film. It was pretty good, about evacuees during WWII. The ending was a bit too convenient, but still good. ( )