In The Little Wartime Library, The Covid-19 pandemic spurs an eighty-eight year old to tell her granddaughters about how she practically grew up underground in the tube in London during WWII Luftwaffe bombing raids.

“The underground” had a whole village living below the surface of Bethnal Green, including a hairdresser, a nursery, nurses, and a library. Clara Button, the children’s librarian turned Head Librarian helped many escape the realities of the Blitz, doodlebugs, and other wartime horrors.

While heart wrenching, I was cheering for Clara and her friend Ruby throughout the book. These ladies instilled a love of reading in the “Tube rats” and other children who found themselves in the shelter.

The author ended The Little Wartime Library with an impassioned plea to save libraries from budget cuts, arguing that libraries are just as vital today as they were 100 years ago during the Blitz.

Age Recommendation:

TW: sexual assault

The Little Wartime Library MAY be appropriate for a high school student, but not for middle school. As always, please consider your individual child/ student before giving them this book.

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