Letters from the Lighthouse: ‘THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION’ Guardian: 1

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Emma Carroll is said to be the queen of middle grade historical fiction. One book down and a handful more to go, and I��m already agreeing with this statement! Discuss the feelings relived for the grandfather as he read the letters. The letters could be notes he kept for himself or letters from fallen allies. For this guided reading task you will need to read chapter 16 – Hitler Will Send No Warning from Letters from the Lighthouse with your Year 5 / Year 6 class. Olive is 10, and she is dertemend to find out what happend to her sister. Sukie is Olives sister, who goes missing one night during an air raid. Cliff, who is 7, is Olive's younger brother. Ephtaim is the mysterious lighthouse keeper. They are evacuated to Devon where they try to solve the mystery of their missing sister.

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Carroll has written wonderful characters, a realistic plot where the kids can make significant contributions to the war effort without it being unrealistic, and added just enough of the hard stuff so as not to negate the horror of war or overburden kids with it either. The story is told from the perspective of an evacuee named Olive. A main focus of the story is the growing friendship between Olive and a Jewish refugee named Esther. At first, Olive is unsure about Esther as she is different to the other children and comes across as cold and uninviting. However, as Olive listens to Esther talk more about her lived experiences as a Jew in Austria and then as a refugee in England, Olive starts to see how she initially misunderstood Esther and begins to appreciate how brave and courageous she is. I think we can learn a lot from this friendship as it shows us that prejudice and discrimination can be overcome by empathy and mutual understanding. The book does not feature heavy setting descriptions. Instead, Emma Carroll increases her use of descriptive language at key points, heightening the impact on the reader. An example of this comes early in the book, when an air raid hits London. Her sudden escalation of setting at that particular moment, paints a vivid, gritty picture of life in London during WWII, making the overall scene resonate in a much deeper, more meaningful way.This is a great comprehension resource that gives your class a brief overview of kinder transport, kristallnacht, Refugee Children’s Movement and more… What a great little book. Carroll captures the reader's interest right from the beginning and maintains it throughout the book. There are plenty of 'sub' storylines that run throughout the book, creating questions as you read. Why is Esther how she is? Who is Mrs Arby? Why is Queenie the way she is? Why are we not allowed to find out what is in Ephraim's cupboards or the top floor, and finally the big question- Where is Sukie and what does the note mean? Carroll takes the readers on an emotional 'treasure hunt', encouraging us to empathise with Olive as well as gaining an understanding of what it might have been like to live as an evacuee during the war. I couldn't put the book down, and I think it would be an excellent read for upper KS2 children. I adored how the chapter names had relevance to the war. Although it is fiction, the book contains a lot of historical contexts and this could be a powerful teaching tool to use across the curriculum. The historical information I have learnt from this book is that Jews were not given permission to evacuate to any country. Only some countries gave permission. Your children will be asked to step into the shoes of different characters and give statements from their perspective. Emma Carroll pulls on the reader’s heartstrings. She made me feel bad for Olive, but not only for her, for all people and families that suffered throughout WWII. The author used such powerful vocabulary, it felt like I was there. Not only is this a great book, it spreads a message. It shows you that just because you have a different religion, or you think differently, doesn’t mean you’re good or bad.’

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I already know a lot about World War 2 but it made me want to learn more about the people in the boats. Carroll has always had a passion for writing and loves researching historical settings for her books. She is inspired by the beauty of nature and often writes stories with a strong environmental message. Her work also often features strong female characters who show resilience in tough situations. She discovers that secret meetings are taking place at night in an old boathouse and that the harbor has been taken over by a group of strangers. Although she is sometimes scared, Molly is determined to protect Pearl and discovers that the lighthouse holds a long-buried secret that could change her life forever. Details of Letters from the Lighthouse Book BookThe book is based on a family whose father a pilot was losted in the fighting. We meet three siblings during an air raid in London and follow Olive and her brother Cliff on the hunt for the truth to their sister going missing. Emma Carroll clearly put a lot of research into writing Letters from the Lighthouse. It lends itself very well to teaching a WWII topic to a class, as the prolific use of wartime terminology and speech does a fantastic job of educating the reader on specific aspects of the war. I read through the book beforehand and then timed my teaching to coincide with the book so that my children were able to better visualise what I was teaching them. Class Comments

Letters from the Lighthouse: teaching activities for guided Letters from the Lighthouse: teaching activities for guided

We had to write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the characters in the book: Olive. This was about how she and her brother, Cliff, were evacuated into the countryside in Devon. They felt extremely scared because their mother couldn’t come with them. Here are some examples of writing from 6S. This is a fantastic comprehension resource linked to chapter 19 of Letters from the Lighthouse and breaks down different types of questions from the categories: vocabulary, retrieval, inference and comparisons.I did enjoy this book because I like the characters in the story. I thought that the story was interesting and that the history in the book was believable. I found the history about World War II interesting and it encouraged me to try to find out more. A beautifully written story about bravery, compassion, understanding, and having the strength to fight for what you believe in. ~ Shelley Fallows February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he's not used to company and he certainly doesn't want any evacuees.

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When Olive and her little brother Cliff are taken to the cinema as a treat by their older sister Sukie they find themselves in the midst of an air-raid, and Sukie, last seen by Olive talking to a young man, has vanished. Without being preachy, the story also encompasses the themes of empathy, tolerance and kindness; such important messages in our current world. I would recommend this book for anyone of 9 and above; I will certainly be buying a copy for my school's library. I think that there are a few world leaders who would benefit from reading it too! The book begins with a young girl, Molly, and her family being evacuated from their London home during World War II. She moves to the isolated Cornish coast with her father, who is an air raid warden, where she finds solace in discovering the secrets of the mysterious old lighthouse at the nearby harbor. This is going on my "Must Read WWII Fiction for Middle Grade" shelf. I don't even homeschool anymore, but I keep expanding that shelf. I'm okay with that. Letters from the Lighthouse starts off with relatively few characters, but the number increases steadily as the book progresses, resulting in quite a few by the end. Each character feels necessary, and it’s clear that Emma Carroll has put a lot of thought into what each one can bring to the story. This asymmetric character structure gives the story room to delve into the deep-rooted prejudices often faced by refugees, as seen through the eyes of open-minded children. By shining a spotlight on supplementary characters’ preconceptions and showing their progression towards change and acceptance, my class were able to connect with the injustices faced by refugees, both in the past and the present, on a far deeper level.Well what can I say Emma Carroll has brought an enlightened and heart wrenching version of events during WW2 with the poignancy of Good Night Mr Tom and the sad reality of the plight of Jewish refugees trying to flee to the UK.