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"A powerful, moving and unforgettable wartime story from one of our very finest writers."
April 2025 Book of the Month
Geraldine McCaughrean’s father, Lesley Jones, was a firefighter in London during the Blitz. He is the inspiration for this wartime story, and one Les Jones is an important character in the book. The focus of the story however is four young people: Lawrence, famous for his cleverness, and building his own flying machine; Franklin desperate to become a firefighter and ready to do anything to achieve that; Susan, aka the Gremlin, escaping her brutish father; and Olive, fireman’s daughter and storyteller. They all have their reasons to jump off the train carrying other young evacuees to safety and that action turns them into the Meridians, an alliance that becomes a deep friendship, one which supports them all during those terrible years of destruction.
Each has their own challenges and adventures, each comes of age as the story unfolds, reestablishing relationships with their parents on their own terms, even as bombs drop around them. McCaughrean says her father never talked about things he saw but she describes them for him, presenting us with scenes, both panoramic – London on fire - and specific, falling walls, collapsing theatres, dying men, women and children.
It’s harrowing, but it has to be, the resilience of her four young characters providing hope like ‘the occasional shaft of sunlight [that] gaped open-mouthed at the devastation’.
Geraldine McCaughrean is one of our very finest writers and this is powerful, moving, unforgettable reading, a historical novel that seems particularly important today.
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From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Geraldine McCaughrean comes an utterly immersive and unforgettable novel set during the London Blitz, inspired by her firefighter father.
With World War II looming, four young people sit on a train waiting to be evacuated to a safer place...but they don't want to go. They climb out of the carriage window and head back to Greenwich, forming an unlikely friendship.
They spend their days trying to be useful. Laurence is building a secret machine. Gemmy searches bombed-out homes for things of value - only to find an adorable mutt she can't even give away. Franklin wants to join the Fire Service, although it means lying about his age. Olive looks after her father, who is broken by the deaths of his fellow firefighters. And together, the four roam the streets of London, discovering their resilience amongst the secrets of the city.
But as the Blitz unleashes a barrage of bombs on London, turning the sky ragged with flame, can the friends keep each other safe and survive?
Publishing in the 80th anniversary year of the end of the Second World War, Under a Fire-Red Sky is a powerful survival story that is brutal yet beautiful in its imagery and depictions of war-torn London.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Under a Fire-Red Sky and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
Under a Fire-Red Sky features in the following genres: Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Adventure Stories, Stories about Family and Friends, Historical Fiction, Warfare & Battles, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), Children’s / Teenage: General interest, c 1940 to c 1949, Early 20th century c 1900 to c 1950, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, c 1500 onwards to present day, Time period qualifiers
Under a Fire-Red Sky is available in Paperback
Under a Fire-Red Sky was written by Geraldine McCaughrean and published by Usborne Publishing Ltd. an imprint of Usborne Publishing
Under a Fire-Red Sky has 274 pages
£8.09
