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Overview
“Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
A riveting and astonishing story.
Winner of the 2005 Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult Literature
Synopsis
“Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.
A riveting and astonishing story.
Publishers Weekly
In our Best Books citation, PW said, "This riveting first novel paints a frighteningly realistic picture of a world war breaking out in the 21st century." Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In our Best Books citation, PW said, "This riveting first novel paints a frighteningly realistic picture of a world war breaking out in the 21st century." Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
What would a Third World War be like? What would you do? These are questions explored in this modern-day story, told in first-person by 15-year-old Daisy. A New Yorker all her life, Daisy is sent to live in England by her father and pregnant stepmother. There, she grows to adore her deceased mother's sister, Aunt Penn, and her four cousins—Osbert, 16; Isaac and Edmond, 14-year-old twins; and Piper, 9. While Aunt Penn is out of the country on a peace mission, England is invaded. Initially, the children continue on with their lives. The only big change is the sexual relationship that develops between Edmond and Daisy. Then, soldiers take over the farm and split up the children—sending the girls one way and the boys the other. Daisy is determined to keep Piper alive and, during this struggle, we see Daisy change from a self-centered teen to a survivor. The book ends with a thought-provoking, but hopeful, epilogue that takes place six years later. Basically, the book provides a realistic picture of what life would be like if a world war broke out today, and it provides a lot of material for class discussion. The relationship between Edmond and Daisy is not explicit, and it is described in an emotional rather than physical way. The book also deals with Daisy's eating disorder. 2004, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Children's Books, Ages 12 up.—Lynn O'Connell