Cuckoo Summer
Jonathan Tulloch’s latest children’s book features two cuckoos: the German airman who has crashed in the woods, and Sally the evacuee, both of whom arouse suspicion and fear in the locals of the quiet, rural area of the Lake District where the novel is set. The local kids tease Sally for her accent and her wild behavior, and she is called a thief by the grown-ups. But she is Tommy’s best friend, so when she tells him to keep the airman in the woods a secret, he does. But the airman is not the only secret Sally is keeping. Sally understands what it means to be different, an outsider, unwanted, and she treats the injured man with care and compassion. Cuckoo Summer is a wonderfully written novel which beautifully evokes the rural Lake District, the small community, the gossip, the fear, and the various characters: good and bad. This is a novel sure to appeal to fans of Emma Carroll, Dan Smith and other classic tales set during World War 2.
