Vinnie's War
Based on personal experience, and with fascinating memorabilia reproduced throughout, David McRobbie's engaging story of a group of British evacuee children in World War II brings history alive.
McRobbie says: 'I was an evacuee in about 1940, but I had the good fortune to travel with my family from Glasgow to a smaller town about 56 kilometres to the south. We stayed in this town and didn't return to Glasgow after the war. Vinnie's War came about because I felt it was a story worth telling, especially since British people recently marked the 70th anniversary of this mass evacuation. As I did the research for the story, I found that many of the photographs and posters of the time were haunting.'
Just then came: crump, CRUMP, CRUMP! Three bombs in quick succession. With each explosion, the ground shook. Dust and chips fell from the ceiling. Everyone in the shelter gasped at the same time. Vinnie held his breathÂ…
When Vinnie is sent away from the bombs in London, he has no idea what awaits him. All he has left of his old life is his harmonica.
On the train, Vinnie meets fierce Kathleen, sweet Joey and gangly Dobbs. The evacuee children find themselves in the country town of Netterfold, which seems beautiful and peaceful - until they meet the locals.
There is a war raging across Europe, but Vinnie and his friends soon find they have their own war to fight. Can Vinnie make peace with the hostile neighbourhood kids and finally find a place where he belongs?
David McRobbie is the author of many best-selling books for children and young adults. He has published more than thirty titles since 1990, and many of his stories have been adapted for television, including the very funny Wayne series, Eugénie Sandler PI, Fergus McPhail and the gripping thriller See How They Run. His young adult novel Tyro was shortlisted for the 2000 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for Older Readers.
David's background is a varied one: he has worked as a ship's engineer, a primary school teacher, a college lecturer, a parliamentary researcher in Papua New Guinea, and a radio and television producer with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He lives in Toowong, Queensland and writes full-time.
Vinnie's War
Allen and Unwin
Author: David McRobbie
Price: $15.99
