Book Review: Voices From the Second World War

Voices from the Second World War
Stories of War as Told to Children of Today
Candlewick Press

Candlewick
Children's Nonfiction
Pub Date 20 Mar 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Voices From the Second World War through Candlewick Press and Netgalley:


This book reminds children that World War Two changed the course of history. That up to eighty million people died in this war!

This book is a collection of memories of the survivors of World War Two many of these stories were collected by Children.

We learn of Douglas Poole who joined Britain's Territorial army or army reserve in 1937 and he was one of the first called up when war broke out! We learn too of Veronika Syrovatkova who was four years old when the Nazi's invaded the Sudentland. She talked to to India Dalton Biggs about what her life in Czechoslovakia was like while under German Occupation! We learn of Francisek Kornicki who joined the Polish Air Force College in 1936, when he was only nineteen. He fought for Poland during the war and then he moved to France and finally Britain where he fought with the Royal Air Force! (RAF).

In August 1939 Ken (Paddy) French moved from Ireland to England, a month later war would break out!

In September of 1939 Jasmine Blakeway was seventeen and on Holiday in France when war broke out.


Sir Nicolas Winton talks to Amelie Mitchell and Daniel McKeever why he set up the Kinder-transport program from Czechoslovakia in 1938.

Mary Black was evacuated out of England to Canada, she was born in Austria.

We learn to of Ruth Barnett who was living in Germany with her family when Hitler came into power and was transported to England on the Kinder-transport!

Marguerite Columbe was almost nineteen when the war started and we talked to her Granddaughter Chloe Tartinville about the fall of France under German Occupation.

In this book we learn too of first hand accounts of children evacuated before and during the war. We learn too of what wartime was like for the Children who were unable to be evacuated!

We learn to of those who were involved in the Resistance.

World War Two would also be one of the first wars we saw women at war, women like Jean Barker Baroness Trumpington who was a conservative member of Britain's House of Lord's. She tells a young girl Gemma Carolan about her experiences with the Naval Intelligences at Bletchley Park. We learn to of Molly Rose who flew for the Airport Transport Auxiliary during the war, delivering and collecting aircraft.

We learn of Judith Kerr author of When Hitler Stole My Pink Rabbit who was born in Berlin and who fled Germany when Hitler came into power because her Father was a vocal critic of Hitler and the Nazi's.


I give Voices of the Second World War five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!