Partly autobiographical, this is first of the internationally acclaimed trilogy by Judith Kerr telling the unforgettable story of a Jewish family fleeing from Germany at the start of the Second World War This book is all about kindness, love and among all things hope. I highly recommend it to all readers young and old. We will commemorate Remembrance Sunday this year at the Stone of Remembrance, Edinburgh City Chambers. Wreaths will be laid by the Lord Provost, representatives from the Scottish Government, UK Government and the wider Armed Forces and Veterans community to remember our fallen at 1100 hours on Sunday 12th November 2023. This is an absolutely beautiful book! Flossie is a young girl of I think eight or so when the second world war starts, and as the title states this is just basically her diary through to victory in 1945. It's simply written and has little non-war asides so her character really comes shining through. She lives in the country so her house of course ends up with evacuees from the city (and one German boy, Simon, who is another fabulous character) and land girls, she's far removed from the bombing action but not from the war itself - her mother died a year ago and now her father's off fighting so she has that fear that she and her baby brother (who we get to watch grow up) will end up orphans.

War Started | Royal British Legion Scotland The Day War Started | Royal British Legion Scotland

Marcia didn't receive any formal art training. She calls herself "an obsessive illustrator. I've just always done it. I never consciously thought: that's what I want to do." She had a number of jobs, including nursery teacher, which is when she developed her taste for story-telling to young children; "I learnt what they found accessible and what they enjoyed." Giving up teaching to paint, she studied watercolour at Richmond College and held some successful local exhibitions before a friend suggested that she took her work to show Walker Books.

Open Library

Flossie is just nine years old when, in 1939, Britain declares war on Germany and her father leaves the family home to join the army. Flossie is left to bring up her baby brother and to face a whole host of new experiences on her own. Her diary becomes an outlet for relaying all the news from at home and abroad. From the first evacuees arriving to her sweetheart's being killed in Normandy in 1944, Flossie has to endure much hardship. But her own special blend of courage, humour and fighting spirit sees her through to the Armistice, when she can welcome her dad home at last. grammatical errors. Flossie appears to be a bright child and well trained at the village school. Although, she might have spoken with grammatical errors, I doubt that "ain't" would have reached her writing.

My Secret War by Mary Pope Osborne | Open Library My Secret War by Mary Pope Osborne | Open Library

Some of the delightful elements in ‘My Secret War Diary’ by Marcia Williams Photo Source: Lisa Lacy Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.

My Secret War

This is an amazing book to read! I loved it so much. In my year 6 class we started a 'thematic' topic of World War 2. This book has so much details of the war that you could use it both for Literacy and History lessons. Fictional diary account of life in the Second World War, seen through the eyes of a young girl. Companion title to Archie's War. I would use this book to introduce the idea of World War II in the history class, and what it would’ve been like to be a child during this time. The children made find it easier to understand the effects of the Second World War by comparing their lives to that of Flossie Albright. This book could also be used to teach grammar, spelling and self – correction. SO cool. It's the journal/scrapbook of a fictional character in WWII England. Glad I finally got to it. Put it on my to read list when it was brand new ... and here it is, what. Two or three years later? You can't get to all of them right away. :X Throughout the book, the detailed illustrations display the emotional journey that Flossie goes on, the little star motifs being the most telling. The verbal text describes the events whilst trying to deal with them as a child might. Struggling to cope with the responsibility of looking after her brother is a recurring theme:

World War 2 diary entries Guided reading Year 5/6 World War 2 diary entries

Marcia Williams' mother was a writer and her father was a playwright and theatre director. She spent the early part of her life in Canton, Hong Kong, Nigeria and the Middle East with her mother and diplomat stepfather. She loved books from an early age and remembers being read to almost every night; "I would often be scared, especially by fairy tales, but I never wanted the stories to end." She went to boarding school in Sussex, from where she sent weekly illustrated letters to her parents overseas. September, 1939. As the Second World War begins, ten-year-old Shirley is sent away on a train with her schoolmates. She doesn’t know where she’s going, or what’s going to happen to her when she gets there. All she has been told is that she’s going on ‘a little holiday’.

I had high hopes for this one because Mary Pope Osborne wrote Standing in the Light, one of my favorites in the series. However, My Secret War was just okay. I have mixed feelings about this one. Caption: Illustration from My Secret Diary by Marcia Williams showing star motifs. Photo source: Lisa Lacy My secret war is about a girl named Madeline and her living through world war 2 while her dad is fighting in war. Madeline goes through many obstacles with her friends Clara and Johnny and all the problems that come with having a dad in the war. Two young writers have been named the winners of Poppyscotland’s learning competition, My Secret War Diary.

My Secret War Diary, by Flossie Albright - AbeBooks My Secret War Diary, by Flossie Albright - AbeBooks

She does manage to make one friend, Johnny, a cute boy from her class who is keenly interested in the war, which Mad talks about as her father is in the military. The first bit of the book is pretty much her talking about day to day life, trying to make friends, trying to not be jealous when Johnny goes out with someone else, sort of gossiping about the people she lives with. When the war breaks out, Madeline begins to shine. She and Johnny form a club at school to help with the war effort. They volunteer to watch for airplanes, collect tin, arrange exercise classes for students, and patrol the beach. It's all a bit boring really. that is until Madeline gets word that her father has been injured and is in hospital somewhere, critically injured. She has a bout of melancholy and drops everything in favour of sitting by the window and worrying. No club, no Johnny. All men over twenty years have to join the forces now, because we MIGHT go to WAR WITH GERMANY, but I still HATE Dad for going, I do, I flipping DO … except I don’t.’ (p6) This is an autobiography through a journal during the time of WWII. This book follows the life of Flossie Albright. Her father is in the War during WWII. She writes a diary about her life and notes that she gets from her father. This book follows different events that happen throughout the war and getting a view of it from a kid. This shows different groups that were formed during the time, such as a group for girls joining to help the war, women starting more jobs as well as another event. Such as groups leaving Germany. Whichever style you choose, you should try to add some creative elements too. You should think of it as a bit of a scrapbook.I have to kind of roll my eyes about the plot line with the "beach discovery." If one good thing came from it, at least Maddie couldn't brag about it! But I tend to dislike the books in this series where the narrator somehow plays a huge role in a historical event. This is the war diary of 'Flossie Albright' who is a child living away from London with her Uncle, baby brother and for a while her dad (who joins the army). Flossie records what life is like/what happens to her during WW2. Flossie also experience evacuee's living with her. Tying neatly in with the primary curriculum, this is the perfect book for enthusing nine plus children to learn more about this fascinating period in our history. -- Independent Bookshop Week supplement * The Guardian * Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments