It's been a good few months since I cried at a book but Lisa Thompson managed it once again.
I love this story. Honestly everything about it.

I'm not a massive fan of historical fiction, and I have opinions about war that usually cause some clashes with people, which often makes war-related media a struggle for me to get into or enjoy. But this one hits the mark perfectly for me.

It discusses quite a few heavy topics (grief, mental health, anxiety...) in such a short space of time, but so expertly, exactly as I've come to expect from Thompson.

Owen's poem was the tear-creating kicker, and from then to the end it was a blur of pages.
I would highly recommend.

It was also another accessible, easy read, from Barrington Stoke, with slightly yellowed pages and their signature dyslexia friendly font. They are very quickly becoming my go to for shorter reads that I would feel confident in giving to children for independent reading (either as initial chapter books for eager younger readers, or as accessible choices for older reluctant readers). Every one has had such a good, well rounded story and meaning, something which I find most other shorter chapter books are missing.