This book takes place in East End London during the early part of WWII. Reading about what the people went through at that time, during all the bombings, was eye-opening. The characters are regular, working class people whose lives must go on despite the war and shortages. There is love and romance and tension and secrets in the Brogan family. Third book in the Ration Book series. Previously read in 2021 when I did not realize that the book was part of a series. I reread it after reading the first 2 books. ( )

This book is set in the war and looks at the lives of those who have to live on rations. Despite the book being called, "A Ration Book Childhood", the book hardly focuses on the rations and how it affects them and focuses more on the lives of the main family. I was a bit disappointed because I had hoped to learn more about how it was like to live on rations. But with this being said, it was a great book. Every single character, even the minor ones, were very well-developed. I couldn't help but care for them all, even if some of them were painted a bit more negatively. This is a great feat for a book. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love to read about civilian lives during the war. ( )

I absolutely fell in love with this saga when I read A Ration Book Christmas last year, and have been eagerly awaiting the next instalment ever since. This is another must-read story that I'd strongly recommend for readers who enjoy historical family stories. This saga speaks to me personally because I can see many parallels with my own family's wartime experiences.

A Ration Book Childhood picks up the story of the Brogan family in October 1941. Stella has married Charlie and they have a son, Patrick. Charlie is in the army, now fighting in North Africa. The wonderfully stoic Ida helps Stella with childcare so that she can work the night shift in a factory canteen.

Queenie, Ida's mother-in-law, is still taking bets for Fat Tony, and her son, Jeremiah, is still scraping a living as a rag and bone man, and working nights with the heavy rescue. Jeremiah comes up with a business idea to earn a bit more cash but suffers a setback when Samson, his horse, killed.

Mattie and Cathy are married with their own babies, and Jo is desperate to marry Tommy, and has asked Ida to persuade Jeremiah to let them marry at Whitsun next year.

The youngest Brogan, Billy, overhears a disturbing conversation and starts to play up.

The main plot revolves around a friend from Ida's past appearing with an unwelcome surprise for Ida and her family. Despite her initial devastation at this revelation, Ida pulls herself together and adds another burden to her load.

A Ration Book Childhood is a really well written and researched story. I love the historical details which kept popping up, such as the siren suit, the bombing raids, the food rations, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. But the real story is about an East End family getting on with the ups and downs of day-to-day life during WWII. They have enough challenges to face without having to toddle off to the air raid shelter every night, the constant worry about being bombed out, queuing half the morning for food rations, and generally just scraping by all the time.

The Author's Note at the end of the book is also worth reading, talking about Fullerton's own family living in the East End of London and the system of evacuation of the children.

Queenie's court appearance brought to mind a story my aunt told me about her manager leaving lights on in a kiosk during a blackout. Having been in court twice for the same offence, the manager asked my aunt to say she'd left the lights on. She reluctantly agreed and had to attend Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court to face the music.

I found this to be a really engrossing read. I was already hanging by a thread after A Ration Book Christmas, wanting to know whether Stella would indeed marry Charlie, and why she wanted him, when he was so obviously not right for her. Stella doesn't get any better in this story. So now I'm waiting for the next book in this series, and hoping that life will improve for the Brogans, of whom I've become very fond. ( )