A story set in the days before World War II when thousands of children, known as evacuees, went by train from London and other areas of England to what was thought of as safety in the countryside from the threat of German bombing. 10-year-old Shirley is separated from her parents, as are all the other children. They are lined up in a hall and chosen by strangers to be taken home with them, traumatic enough, but when you are not chosen, even more so. Shirley is left behind with two other funny looking boys. Reluctantly they are taken in an eccentric women and her helper who live in a huge, but rundown and unfurnished house. It's great to see a book written during this time period which explores how very deeply emotional and disrupting this experience was for the children of 1939. My mother-in-law was an evacuee from Hull during this period and I've listened with interest to her fascinating stories many times. It's great that the experiences of those children are told here again, firstly so the events are not forgotten, but also so that children can read and empathise with what life was like for children their age during that time. ( )