The Skylarks' War: Winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award

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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 comes to an end as the shadow of a terrible war looms - and when Rupert goes off to fight at the Front, Clarry feels their skylarks summers are finally slipping away from them. Can their family survive this fearful war?" (Blurb) The novel is funny, sad, poignant and always absorbing, with engaging and believable characters. There is intense and sometimes searing drama throughout the narrative of Erik and Hans’ wartime years. They, future pilots, create the evocative symbolic thread that runs through the novel: “ Perhaps because Erik had watched so many birds – the scythe-cuts of swifts, the kestrels on their sky-hooks, the ribbon trails of his beloved swallows – perhaps because of these, the air seemed to him a natural place to be, from the very first flight.” It begins and ends with the image of swallows. I have really enjoyed reading The Skylarks’ War and experiencing the journey of Clarry and her brother. I have a few favourite characters from this story. Clarry is everyone’s favourite character and I too have fallen in love with her. Peter is my second; I love his silly characteristic and his slight pessimistic vibe on occasion. Rupert has to be my absolute favourite as you just cannot help falling in love with this young man. He is portrayed as this idyllic teen and sees the good in almost everything.

The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay | Goodreads

I believe this is her first historical fiction, and while we got more than a glimpse of horrors of the Western Front during the Great War, it was softened by our Clarry's drive to improve her lot in life, as she also beetles about keeping everyone in her hemisphere safe.This story engaged us from the start, in fact the first part of this book that covers the characters childhood was perfect. We started with the birth of Clarry and then with the loss of one parent and the other three not being interested the three children are pretty much on their own. Such real characters, wonderful descriptions, happiness, sadness and such humour. We loved the descriptions of the perfect summers enjoyed by Rupert and his cousins Peter and Clarry with grandparents who also didn't really want them but gave them the freedom to play outdoors and make their own decisions. It's probably a very good thing I don't have children, as I would immediately have been like, "Here, child of mine, I REQUIRE you to immediately read this excellent book absolutely brimming with parental neglect, self-inflicted injuries, the horrors of the Great War, tragic unrequited love and all the pains and joys of growing up too soon and looking out for each other because you cannot trust the grown-ups to do it - yes, yes, don't worry, it's billed as a children's book and it has wonderful friendships and adventures in it in addition to the liquefied trench corpses, and also a pony. Go on, read it now and report all your thoughts to me tomorrow!"

The Skylarks’ War Quotes by Hilary McKay - Goodreads The Skylarks’ War Quotes by Hilary McKay - Goodreads

This is a difficult one because I have two friend who love and adore this book, even to the point where they cried over certain scenes and swear it is the best thing since slice bread, so for me to admit that I did not like it at all is probably going to get me killed. When you do come with your pitchforks, please be gentle with me... Many children are fascinated by the Second World War, and I wonder whether it’s because it’s on the core curriculum or whether they just love war stories? Any theories? The provision of grass buffer strips around fields with cereal crops is another agri-environment option which may benefit Skylarks: a study in Sweden found more beetles and spiders in fields with buffer strips and also more Skylarks, but suggested that they may need to be implemented at a landscape scale to be most effective ( Josefsson et al. 2013). He was talking about plays in which most of the time, when there was a gay character, they wind up committing suicide or getting beaten to death or sent to prison," Crowley says. "There was always a terrible fate for anybody who was gay. And so, I was determined not to have that happen, here in this." Things didn't get better; they got worse.And all this point-of-view shifting away from Clarry's story gets tangled up with the desire of the boys on the front to spare the people at home generally - everyone's desire to spare Clarry specifically - Peter's rage that Rupert distracts Clarry from her work - and so this book almost feels unsure of what its focus should be.

Which leaves Simon, Peter’s friend from boarding school who is different from most, and whose love for Rupert leaves him to enlist and follow him to the Western Front. I would definitely recommend this book to other pupils because it taught me about different people’s lives and thoughts during the war. It starts, surprisingly and cleverly, in Berlin, in 1931, where 10-year-old Erik is bartering cards for flies to feed two fledgling swallows. His best friend Hans does his best to help him, and for the next 16 yearswe keep in touch with them and their deep friendship. For Hans and Erik, nothing is simpler than their plans for the future. Erik will be head keeper at Berlin zoo, and Hans will have a very expensive pastry stall just outside the gates. Our sympathies and interest are always with them as they grow up.

The Swallows’ Flight’ by Hilary McKay – Berlie Doherty ‘The Swallows’ Flight’ by Hilary McKay – Berlie Doherty

The line was the shape of a long, lopsided smile. A ravenous, expectant smile. A greedy, unreasonable smile, considering how very, very well it was fed. The Skylarks’ War is a truly wonderful book set before and during World War I. It is about a young girl named Clarry who sends letters to her most loved and only cousin Rupert who joins the army and is then sent to the front line once the Great War breaks out. The story starts when Clarry is born, although not long afterwards her mother dies, leaving poor Clarry and her older brother Peter with a father who would prefer that Clarry had never been born. As the story progresses the characters develop, each having their own personality and problems. I like that when more people are then introduced to the story they all have well-described characters and make the plot much more interesting. Clarry defies the convention of the time and aims high for herself, imagining a life of study and achievement, entirely against her father’s beliefs. She is brilliant.Crowley points to one important line that he wrote: "Not all faggots bump themselves off at the end of the story." It's voiced by the character he based on himself. Finding solace in her studies, and with a few close friends, Clarry begins to navigate the complexities of growing up, but life takes a new turn when the war breaks out and Rupert joins the army. His letters are a constant source of comfort to Clarry, but the longer he is away for, the fewer letters she receives. It is an ideal story to introduce young children to important time periods in history in a way that helps them experience a small slice of it themselves through the characters. Its many delighted readers have waited anxiously for the sequel, The Swallows’ Flight. Could it possibly be as good? Will we be re-united with the characters that she has so lovingly created for us?