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Shrapnel Boys

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Book Synopsis

For Ronnie Smith in 1939, life is full of battles. On the streets, in the sky, at school, at home. When war comes to London, death falls from the sky at night, and he and his friends collect bits of bombs on their way to school in the mornings.

But as war starts to feel normal, his little brother starts acting strangely with new friends and a secret job, and Ronnie worries he’s getting mixed up with some bad people.

Ronnie can’t stop the bombs, but he can try to help his brother by exposing his new gang. But Ronnie isn’t expecting to uncover secrets that could change the fate of the whole war…

Our Review Panel says...

Shrapnel Boys is a gripping story about the lives of a group of young boys living in London during the Second World War.

Ronnie is naively excited by the prospect of war, fighter planes and everything else that he associates with war, and he can’t wait for the action to start. When the war finally comes to London, although the reality is scarier than they thought, Ronnie and his friends are excited to race each other to collect the best bits of shrapnel each morning after a night of bombing.

But, the war also brings an unwelcome visitor into Ronnie’s life – straight away, Ronnie can tell that Johnny is up to no good and when Ronnie’s brother starts to get caught up in whatever it is that Johnny is up to, Ronnie decides to take matters into his own hands to protect his brother.

This is a truly outstanding book which manages to weave so many themes into its pages. It deals with issues around family, friendship, bravery and loss, coupled with providing insight and historical facts about an important time in British history.