February 2001 ISBN 921870-82-5   5 1/4 x 7 5/8 152 pp, $8.95 pb Young Adult Historical Novel Ages 8 to 14

 

Browsing in his grandfather’s study, young Jamie discovers a notebook entitled "This Was My War" and finds himself pulled into the life of East End London teenagers whose adolescent years were overtaken by the devastation of World War II. As Jamie follows his grandfather’s story in which "war" changes from silver screen exploits to bombs exploding on neighbourhood streets and the deaths of friends, John Wayne is superseded by real life heroes such as Canadian ace pilot Willie McKnight, who won two DFCs (Distinguished Flying Crosses) in his sorties against the Germans in the Battle of Britain. In his attempt to learn about the seemingly forgotten local hero, Jamie visits the Calgary Aerospace Museum and soon becomes involved in an adventure to find the missing parts needed to complete the construction of a working Hurricane. The Hurricane, he discovers, was even more important than the Spitfire in air battles. In Hurricanes Over London, Reid blends the daily lives of adolescents from two generations as Jamie relives his grandfather’s story and discovers for himself fascinating events in both English and Canadian history.

"The bombs crash, the machine guns chatter, and the fighters flash overhead. Between these covers, history comes dramatically alive." — John Wilson

A separate Teacher’s Guide is available for $5.95. Order directly from Ronsdale Press.

Charles Reid was born and raised in London’s east end during the Second World War. After his emigration to Canada in 1975, he discovered that the young Calgary flying ace from World War II, Willie McKnight, who had been one of his childhood heroes, was virtually unknown in his home town, even though a boulevard was named after him. Determined to bring the McKnight name to the notice of Canadians, Reid has written a number of articles about him as well as Hurricanes Over London, his first book. Reid now makes his home in Nanaimo, B.C.