Linda is a best-selling author of young-adult books. She is particularly well-known for her historical fiction and has twice been nominated for the Carnegie Medal, for Sisterland and The Shell House. She is also a regular reviewer for The School Librarian, Armadillo and the TES.

A story set in London during the Blitz. With Gernan planes blitzing London, the wreckage can be an exciting place to play after the fear of the night has died down. Whilst exploring a bombed house one day, a lonely boy makes a friend whose father is an RAF pilot - much more exciting than his own air-raid warden dad. But it takes genuine danger to make him realise the difference between the heroism of fantasy and what people do when their courage is needed for real.

The stories in the World War II Flashbacks" series draw the reader into the experiences and emotions of a young person's life, caught against a period backdrop of historical upheaval. The child reader can also absorb important historical details that might otherwise be taught only as dry facts."