It's September 1939 and Alfie Wright is being evacuated from London along with the rest of his class and his teacher. However, unlike the other mothers, Alfie's mum isn't tearful and doesn't wait to wave him goodbye as the train leaves. Alfie isn't worried, nor is he worried when he is the only person left in the class when all the others have been chosen by local villagers. It is then that Mrs Hartland (Auntie Bell) bustles in, apologising for being late, and happily takes Alfie home to the farm she runs with her son, Ted. Life is good for Alfie at the farm and, despite Billy, the school bully still plaguing him, Alfie manages to make friends with Smidge. Smidge is different to everyone else and Alfie never sees him in school or church, but he is happy to have a friend so doesn't question it. But as talk turns to the Midwinter Burning ritual held on the cliffs near the village every year, Alfie begins to understand who Smidge really is.
Alfie is a delightful character who clearly doesn't enjoy his life in London with bullies at school as well as his home life making things difficult for him, so being evacuated is a positive move. Auntie Bell is wonderful to him and is exactly what he needs: somebody to care for him and give him the attention he deserves. He takes to life in the country quickly and, once he gets used to the animals, he enjoys his new home. Making friends with Smidge is a huge bonus for him and, even thought they don't speak the same language, the quickly learn to communicate.
I have a penchant for books based during World War II and the idea of evacuating children has always fascinated me (both from the point of view of a child as well as a parent) but I particularly liked the idea of weaving the WWII story with a time travel twist (this makes it sound rather more sci-fi than it is and it wasn't until I sat down to write this that I considered the sci-fi element). The book is historical fiction with a twist as opposed to sci-fi; it is a perfect read for those who enjoy WWII books but would also be great for those who have read Sophie Kirtley's books.
Midwinter Burning combines friendship, evacuation and time-travel seamlessly into a novel that will warm your heart.
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