After Daisy’s father remarries, she goes to live with her aunt and cousins in England.  When war breaks out, Daisy is trapped with her new family.  And when they are separated from the others, Daisy and her young cousin Piper must figure out a way to reunite with their loved ones.  I usually enjoy this genre, but Rosoff’s book didn’t do much for me.  It just wasn’t very convincing, and Daisy’s love affair was very distracting.

Lily lives in medieval England with her mother and her father, who is the town executioner. Because of her father’s job, the entire family is shunned, even though Lily and her mother have the gift of healing. Lily believes that the path of her life as executioner’s daughter is set, until she is forced to help her father with an execution. Then she realizes that somehow, she must change her future. While the story was good, the book ended too soon. I want to know more about what happened to Lily after she decided that she needed to change.

This book is one of my favorites. I’ve borrowed it several times from the library to read, and enjoyed it so much, that I bought it for myself. (I rarely buy books for myself, until I’ve re-read them several times.)

Willie Beech is an evacuee, sent to the English countryside to escape the German bombing of London. He has been abused by his mother, and so he expects the same from Mr. Tom, who has agreed to care for him. However, Mr. Tom, while somewhat of a recluse, is a kind man, who grows to love Willie as a son.

This fictional account of a boy who overcomes terrible abuse has a much cleaner ending than the real-life stories that Torey Hayden chronicles. While it may be somewhat sugar-coated, the story still draws you in. I think the magic behind the book lies in Mr. Tom’s character. Mr. Tom takes in a refugee, gives him a loving home, helps him through difficult times, gives him gifts, rescues him from danger, and calls him “Son.” As a Christian, I can’t help but seeing God’s love for us reflected in Mr. Tom’s love for Willie.