Reason for Reading: I am in the process of reading the whole
series. I am particularly fond of WWII stories and this one takes
place near where I grew up, Fergus, ON and we went to Guelph many,
many times.
Comments: As per all books in the Dear Canada series, this is
written as a series of diary entries that cover the span of one
year. Charlotte receives the diary for her twelfth birthday and the
book finishes a few days after her thirteenth birthday. The book
focuses on a family and their close neighbour who both receive War
Guests from England. A brother and sister who have been evacuated
from London and sent to live in Canada for the duration of the War.
When the family picks them up from Toronto they are sent off by two
other children they sailed over with a little 5yo girl and a much
older teen boy.
Through Charlotte's eyes we experience life on the homefront for a
family who has a son in the army and a Jewish family who worries
about what is happening to their relatives in Europe. Many horrible
things are reported in the papers and on the radio that terrify
Charlotte but some things she cannot comprehend and her father
explains many things to her but when it comes to her questions
about the Jews he is unable to give her answer telling she must
wait till she is older, his reason being that he himself is unable
to explain the inhumanity of the Nazi's hate.
Through Charlotte's eyes we see the adjustments the children from
England must make in their new homes. The terror and shock they
have experience from the bombings and air raid alarms, their worry
for their parents and the gradual settling in with a new family who
has foreign ways but treats them lovingly and as a member of their
own family. We also get to see the flip side of other War Guest
children when they meet the little five year old girl in town and
see she is being neglected (by her own aunt at that) and how the
boy receives regular letters from the older boy he met on ship
telling him how much he hates the family he is with, how he wants
to runaway, go home and please may he come to visit him.
In this modest appearing book Jean Little manages to capture so
many experiences from differing peoples that one gets a very
diverse view of life both on the homefront and the life of a War
Guest. She even manages to mention recurringly about the treatment
of a German shopkeeper in town. I found the book to have covered
all the issues I could think of and they came with the naivete of a
child's point of view and the innocence with which a child can
blurt out the simple truths. The story is highly entertaining and
informative. Things are not all war, war, war either; there are
plenty of happy times and a wonderful first-hand glimpse into 1940s
wartime life for children and in general is portrayed. Since I've
lived in the area it was fun to hear mention of places I knew: my
own Fergus a couple of times, the quarry and Belwood Lake to name a
few dear to my heart.
I really enjoy the Dear Canada series, but of course the quality of
each depends on the author and when Jean Little's name is spied on
the title page you just know you've got a winner in your hands. As
usual the book ends with a chapter telling us what happened to the
characters in the future, then an historical note that tells the
real history behind the story and is finally followed by a section
of related photographs. This book would make a great introduction
to reading about the War as many feelings are dealt with but war
details are not graphic. Highly recommended.