War is coming! At least that’s what all the newspapers and radio news people say.
Olive, Jemmy, Lawrence and Franklin aren’t sure what to believe and are not impressed when their parents decide to put them on a train to the countryside to keep them safe.
Jemmy doesn’t like being told what to do.
Franklin wats to be a firefighter like his dad and can’t see how he’s going to do that out in the country.
Lawrence is far too busy and deep inside a building project to be sent away, and like all of them, Olive isn’t that keen to be bundled in with all the little kids on the train as if she is a little schoolgirl.
Olive has seen Lawrence at their school, but other than that, these four teenagers have never met. When the train stops and one gets off, the others decide they can break the rules too, and follow.
Jemmy goes back to a run down caravan hidden in the woods – hiding from her abusive and drunken father. Lawrence returns to his parents who don’t understand him at all. Franklin continues his quest to be a fireman, but is too young to be taken seriously. To their consternation, Olive returns to her parents.
For months, it seems as if the war is far away. The four teens spend a lot of time together now that schools are closed or taken over by the war effort. They enjoy the freedom, with Lawrence leading them through the streets of London.
And then the bombs begin to fall on London. Sirens scream and buildings crumble. Never ending fire fills the sky….
Olive, Franklin, Jemmy and Lawrence must face the Blitz and do their best to survive along with their families.
Their lives change forever, and for one, becomes much better than before the war. Their unlikely friendship is a bond that helps them through the seemingly endless war and London’s destruction.
Under a Fire-Red Sky is a story of the London Blitz like I’ve never read before. The author’s father was a fireman in the Blitz, so this Young Adult novel is also a tribute to the brave fire fighters who helped save many lives as the German bombers tried to take them.
Firefighters were spat on and scorned before the endless bombing raids began, as they were seen as cowards not going off to war to fight the enemy. But firefighters were woefully short in numbers when the fires roared night after night, and they put themselves in danger again and again to save lives.
Under a Fire-Red Sky is a brilliant portrayal of life during the London Blitz through the eyes of four different characters from homeless to well to do. These unlikely friends are at first bonded by breaking the rules, but the longer they know each other, the stronger their friendships are.
With lives constantly hanging in the balance, this novel captures the fear, hurt, loss and bravery of Londoners – especially the brave men and women who fought fires and joined the war effort in any way they could.
Author – Geraldine McCaughrean
Age – 12+
(2025, Harper Collins, Usborne, War, WWII, World War 2, London, The Blitz, Fireman, Friendship, Aviette, Homeless, Poverty, Bombed out buildings, Rubble, Fireman, Fire, Family, Rations, Courage, Growing up, Historical)