The Skylarks’ War by Hilary Mckay
This beautiful story really makes you connect and get to know each and every character. This may be because the text is actually quite long (it wasn’t really until around page 120 where I really couldn’t put the book down). It really represents the goings on at war through the eyes of different viewpoints in letters written between characters but the story takes a while to get to ‘war time’ as the plot develops characters. Based on a girl called Clarry who is so thoughtful and smart that she really pushes the boundaries of what ‘girls CAN do’ when females were always inferior to males in the early twentieth century. It’s about family, hope, abandonment and many other themes you would expect from WWI based book. It is a superb read for 10+ and adults would also enjoy. The glossary of terms (at the back) is a fantastic addition because the vocabulary in places can be quite technical.