blurb: Four boys and a girl are struggling to keep alive in the ruins of an invasion-battered Sussex town. As the bombs fall and the bullets fly, it becomes harder and harder to venture out of the cellars, to find food, to keep alive. But then Chris shows up; Chris, the extraordinary boy with the drum. The action builds up, with mounting suspense, to a meeting with the enemy army that will change everything.

review: a strange little book that sticks in the memory. Part utter gritty realism, part allegory - Chris has dark skin and hair and wears sandals - it's almost The Bed-Sitting Room for kids. ( )