Another book that I have had on my shelves for years but never actually read! I am making more of an effort to get through these books so that I can try and clear some of my backlog!

In this book we follow a young girl called Lily and her family around the time of WWII, their town has to be evacuated so that the army can train in their village. However when they move Lily’s cat Tips goes missing and may be somewhere in the village. Will Lily find her before its too late?

This is an incredibly short book that is definitely aimed at children, the font is large and while the story is fun it isn’t particularly complex. However saying that I did still enjoy the story and how quickly it progressed.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the story therefore I won’t go into incredible detail as it is only a short book, however saying that it is still a very moving story. There is so much packed into the story that you still feel really connected to the characters even in such a short space of time.

It was interesting to read about how the war affected different communities and how difficult it is to have to leave your home and possibly never return. I liked how even though the story was aimed at children it was still a ‘grown up’ book where hard hitting things did happen which made it quite realistic.

Surprisingly even though Tips is on the cover and in the title the story isn’t really centered on her, it is mainly centered on the friendship between Lily and the soldiers – they are practicing in her town and vow to keep an eye out for Tips – I liked how the friendship grew throughout the book as they got closer together

It is a little predictable in places however you have to remember it is a children’s book so there’s only so much complexity the story can have so please be prepared for some parts which you may be able to see how they are going to plan out – just remember it is supposed to be for young children

So I’m going to leave this review here as I don’t want to give any more away. It is definitely a moving book with stories of friendship and the war. I loved how Lily really cared about her cat (as a fellow cat owner I can definitely relate) and how she would do anything for her. If you couldn’t already tell I would definitely recommend this book, it is short but such a loving tale of family and friendship. Pick this one up if you are looking at a quick but wholesome tale.

A grandmother shares her childhood diary (from WWII) with her grandson to explain why she traveled to America after her husband died.

Brought tears to my eyes, so maybe a 4.5. Not one I think I will reread though so not a 5.

This is a heartwarming story about a young girl living in the south of England during the Second World War and how the changes in her village helped shape her childhood and the memories that she took with her throughout the rest of her life.

I remember reading this story in school and finding it quite sad but in a happy way? Whether that makes sense or not, I’m not too sure but that is how I felt when I read it. And reading it again as an adult really made me feel quite warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Morpurgo’s books are always really accessible and he has a great way of weaving in the events from a particular time in history in a way that doesn’t exclude the younger readers of his books. Probably that’s why he’s still a popular author today.
emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous medium-paced
adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book will always hold a special place in my heart as it made me fall in love with not only Michael Morpurgo's books but also with reading
adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is aimed at younger readers, but I enjoyed it all the same.