The Skylarks’ War

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What to expect

Winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award 2018.

The Skylarks' War
is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay.

Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert. But normal life resumes each September – boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer.

When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them. Can their family survive this fearful war?

Critics Review

  • McKay is at her best in this poignant family drama.

    The Guardian
  • Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . McKay’s cleverness is that she makes it all fresh and new while making these beautifully drawn characters feel like old friends.

    The Times, Children's Book of the Week
  • This belongs among the classic of children’s literature . . . Funny, sad, warm, it is about growing up and finding what you love, intellectually and emotionally.

    The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
  • This book is agony and ecstasy, and never have I read such a human and accessible account of World War I. Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay’s radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time.

    Elizabeth Wein, New York Times-bestselling author of Code Name Verity and The Pearl Thief
  • This is McKay at her finest, all the heart and warmth of the Casson family books – with a touch of the Cazalets. It’s both a thrilling family adventure and a truthful, heart-breaking examination of the impact of war… [an] exceptional historical novel.

    Bookseller, Children's Book of the Month
  • Hilary McKay is surely the heir to Mary Wesley. The Skylarks’ War is just lovely.

    Charlotte Eyre, The Bookseller

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