The War Lantern

One day in World War II, three seemingly separate lives are forever changed and bound together by war.

15-year-old Marcus builds warplanes in England. 14-year-old Gisele’s baby brother is about to be taken by Hilter’s Nazis. Tail End Charlie, an underaged rear gunner, climbs aboard an RAF bomber. One moment in 1941, when the bombs fall and families vanish, these separate lives become bound by war.

On February 27, 1941, bombs fall, families vanish, and the war lantern burns …

In England, fifteen-year-old schoolboy Marcus isn’t supposed to tell anyone about his work at Parnall’s Aircraft Factory, not even his mother, for fear of Hitler’s spies. In Germany, fourteen-year-old Gisele’s baby brother is about to be taken away by Nazi officials, who deem him “not worthy of life.” Overhead, Tail End Charlie, an underage Royal Air Force rear gunner, flies for a German steel factory behind a squadron of bombers.

Each lead seemingly separate lives, struggling to survive amid World War II, until the roar of bombs — and the silence in the aftermath — connects them all.

Inspired by her family history, Governor General’s Literary Award–winning author Philippa Dowding delivers a carefully researched and powerfully moving wartime story for young readers about family, connections, and resilience.