Blitz Kids
True Stories from the Children of Wartime Britain to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day
Published on 24. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4722-8597-3 (ISBN)
Description
Published to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day
'[The] stories are every bit as dramatic as those from the front lines and Barrett and Calvi have done an incredible job. Their poignant, page-turning book, filled with tears and joy, reminds us innocents always suffer' Daily Express
'The 80th anniversary of VE Day takes place on Thursday 8 May and inspirational new book Blitz Kids captures the stories of some of the people who lived through, and still remember, that period' Sunday Express
'Betty heard the scream of bombs falling and the terrifying thud of explosions. Suddenly, there was a deafening bang, and her mother was thrown across the shelter. For a moment everything was lit up by a blood-red light. Then they were plunged into darkness...'
When the Second World War began, there were 10 million children living in Britain. Many were evacuated to the countryside, but others stayed behind and witnessed the Blitz close-up in cities around the UK.
Blitz Kids tells the remarkable true stories of children who spent their nights in cold, cramped air-raid shelters, hearing the rumble of planes and the crash of bombs overhead. Many woke up in the morning to find their homes and schools destroyed, their favourite toys buried beneath rubble, their pets lost and, in some cases, their families shattered. Yet amid the turmoil and tears, they found a way to enjoy their childhoods, collecting steaming-hot shrapnel, turning bombed-out houses into adventure playgrounds, and chasing American GIs for chocolate and chewing gum.
From headstrong East-Ender Kitty to quick-witted Liverpudlian Christopher - and little Doreen, who survived the devastation of Coventry - Blitz Kids brings together the moving true stories of a remarkable generation now passing into history.
'[The] stories are every bit as dramatic as those from the front lines and Barrett and Calvi have done an incredible job. Their poignant, page-turning book, filled with tears and joy, reminds us innocents always suffer' Daily Express
'The 80th anniversary of VE Day takes place on Thursday 8 May and inspirational new book Blitz Kids captures the stories of some of the people who lived through, and still remember, that period' Sunday Express
'Betty heard the scream of bombs falling and the terrifying thud of explosions. Suddenly, there was a deafening bang, and her mother was thrown across the shelter. For a moment everything was lit up by a blood-red light. Then they were plunged into darkness...'
When the Second World War began, there were 10 million children living in Britain. Many were evacuated to the countryside, but others stayed behind and witnessed the Blitz close-up in cities around the UK.
Blitz Kids tells the remarkable true stories of children who spent their nights in cold, cramped air-raid shelters, hearing the rumble of planes and the crash of bombs overhead. Many woke up in the morning to find their homes and schools destroyed, their favourite toys buried beneath rubble, their pets lost and, in some cases, their families shattered. Yet amid the turmoil and tears, they found a way to enjoy their childhoods, collecting steaming-hot shrapnel, turning bombed-out houses into adventure playgrounds, and chasing American GIs for chocolate and chewing gum.
From headstrong East-Ender Kitty to quick-witted Liverpudlian Christopher - and little Doreen, who survived the devastation of Coventry - Blitz Kids brings together the moving true stories of a remarkable generation now passing into history.
Reviews / Votes
[The] stories are every bit as dramatic as those from the front lines and Barrett and Calvi have done an incredible job. Their poignant, page-turning book, filled with tears and joy, reminds us innocents always suffer. * Daily Express *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
1x8 page colour inset, 20-24 images
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
222 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4722-8597-3 (9781472285973)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Duncan Barrett | Nuala Calvi
Blitz Kids
True Stories from the Children of Wartime Britain to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day
E-Book
04/2025
Headline
€5.99
Available for download
Persons
Duncan Barrett is a writer and editor, specialising in biography and memoir. In 2010 he edited the First World War memoirs of pacifist saboteur Ronald Skirth, published as The Reluctant Tommy.
Nuala Calvi trained as a journalist at London College of Printing, before writing for the Times, the Independent, the Guardian, the BBC and CNN.
They are co-authors of a trio of Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers: The Sugar Girls, which was ranked second in the history bestsellers of 2012, GI Brides, which was also a New York Times bestseller in America, and The Girls Who Went to War.
Nuala Calvi trained as a journalist at London College of Printing, before writing for the Times, the Independent, the Guardian, the BBC and CNN.
They are co-authors of a trio of Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers: The Sugar Girls, which was ranked second in the history bestsellers of 2012, GI Brides, which was also a New York Times bestseller in America, and The Girls Who Went to War.