October 1, 2021
Grades 6-9 The story begins in Germany in 1931, when 10-year-old classmates Erik and Hans become best friends while caring for 3 fledgling swallows. Over the years that follow, the boys reluctantly join the Hitler Youth but spend their spare time hanging around an airfield, where they learn to fly. In 1938, they become Luftwaffe pilots. Meanwhile in England, Kate and Ruby, two girls with the same godmother (Clarry), become pen pals first and, as they grow up, close friends. Staying at a cottage in the country in 1940, the girls hear German planes flying overhead. And when one crashes, they rescue the pilot from the wreckage and another fallen airman nearby. A stand-alone companion to McKay's 2018 novel, Love to Everyone (re-titled The Skylark's War for its paperback release), which follows Clarry, her relatives, and her friends through her first two decades and culminates after WWI, this absorbing narrative focuses on the next generation of well-drawn characters. While the interwoven story lines may be challenging, when they converge, the impact is profound and heartening.
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Starred review from October 11, 2021
Set in the transitional time between the two world wars, covering 1927–1947, this poignant novel follows four young people on the precipice of adulthood amid the challenges of looming conflict. In Berlin, animal-loving Erik and supportive Hans relish their affectionate friendship while anxiously observing Hitler’s rise and burgeoning anti-Jewish sentiment; shy Ruby, born with facial birthmarks, finds comfort in the routines of hanging around at her mother’s Plymouth newsagent’s shop while her antagonistic older brother Will is away in the army; fragile Kate, the youngest of six in Oxford, records everything in her diary and enjoys a long-distance friendship with Ruby; and an unloved London scrapyard dog searches for a kind home. Elevated by rich characterizations of a cued-white ensemble cast against an acutely observed historical setting, McKay’s (The Time of Green Magic) amiable and witty third-person narration offsets a story that touches on moments of darkness appropriate to the time period, including casual animal cruelty as well as several characters grappling with Kristallnacht and its implications. A thrilling final act authentically intertwines the narrative threads in this warm, gratifying follow-up to 2018’s The Skylarks’ War. Back matter features a historical note and family trees. Ages 8–12. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency.
July 1, 2021
McKay plunges us back into the doings of the Penrose family (Love to Everyone, rev. 11/18), this time exploring the lives of the generation born between the world wars. The story spans almost twenty years as we move between Kate in Oxford, Ruby in Plymouth (Clarry's goddaughters, both), and two German boys in Berlin -- best friends Erik and Hans -- as they deal with siblings and families, grapple with their own fears and desires, and meet the challenges of drastically changing times as World War II descends. McKay has a positive genius for the tight dovetail of character, incident, and plot: as these lives become entwined, that genius is everywhere at work -- from the novel's first sentence ("One summer, when he was ten years old, Erik became famous for buying dead flies") to Ruby's distress about her facial birthmarks, to the story's moving, satisfying conclusion. Precise, evocative detail ("Every leaf was heavy with dew, and the flowers hung like wet laundry") gives this a persistent, vivid freshness, but even more fresh and compelling is McKay's compassionate, sometimes humorous, take on human character and her understanding of youthful feelings.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from September 1, 2021
This follow-up to 2018's Love to Everyone reunites readers with cherished characters, and the circle of beloved friends and family grows. Spanning 1927 to 1947, this novel follows a well-drawn ensemble cast through the interwar years and the turbulence of World War II before leaving them battered but resolute. The Great War casts a shadow over young people's lives--a father or uncle lost or seriously wounded; a mother or aunt haunted by memories of nursing the soldiers. Best friends Erik and Hans live in Berlin, dreaming of working at the zoo tending to animals (Erik) and running a pastry stall (Hans). They are disturbed by Hitler but, facing forces beyond their control, eventually become Luftwaffe pilots. In Plymouth, Violet's daughter, Ruby, is self-conscious about prominent birthmarks on her face that draw unwelcome attention. Kate, daughter of Peter and Vanessa, is the youngest of the Penrose brood in Oxford. Her health is delicate, and she fades into the background, honing her observational skills. Clarry is godmother to Ruby and Kate, and Rupert comes and goes, dispensing treats--the benevolent English counterpart to Hans' glamorous Uncle Karl. These four young people and their families--plus one abandoned scrapyard dog--find their orbits intersecting due to the vagaries of war on the way to a poignant and utterly satisfying conclusion. Third-person chapters filled (but never to the point of distraction) with historical texture rotate among the charming characters' distinct voices and perspectives. Characters read as White. Stirring and unforgettable. (family trees) (Historical fiction. 9-14)
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Starred review from November 1, 2021
McKay plunges us back into the doings of the Penrose family (Love to Everyone, rev. 11/18), this time exploring the lives of the generation born between the world wars. The story spans almost twenty years as we move between Kate in Oxford, Ruby in Plymouth (Clarry's goddaughters, both), and two German boys in Berlin -- best friends Erik and Hans -- as they deal with siblings and families, grapple with their own fears and desires, and meet the challenges of drastically changing times as World War II descends. McKay has a positive genius for the tight dovetail of character, incident, and plot: as these lives become entwined, that genius is everywhere at work -- from the novel's first sentence ("One summer, when he was ten years old, Erik became famous for buying dead flies") to Ruby's distress about her facial birthmarks, to the story's moving, satisfying conclusion. Precise, evocative detail ("Every leaf was heavy with dew, and the flowers hung like wet laundry") gives this a persistent, vivid freshness, but even more fresh and compelling is McKay's compassionate, sometimes humorous, take on human character and her understanding of youthful feelings. Deirdre F. Baker
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)