This book was part of a set by Emma Carroll that I got for my birthday. I recently discovered Emma Carroll when I read ‘The Secrets of a Sun King’ and I fell in love with the author during those pages. It made me want to read all her books and luckily I have a very generous friend who gifted me her books for my birthday.

Synopsis (as taken from the back of the book) is as follows:

SUMMER, 1942

Air raids, rationing, the threat of invasion: everyday life in wartime Britain is pretty grim, and often pretty dull.

That’s what Stanley thinks, anyway – until his home is bombed and he’s evacuated to a remote old house with the mysterious name Frost Hollow Hall…

It’s what Olive thinks too – until she finds a body washed up on the beach at Budmouth Point…

Velvet just wishes she could be useful – and when the air-raid warden brings in a ban that puts all the pets in peril, she grabs her chance.

Three thrilling stories about three different children, who find adventure, courage, untrainable dogs and an impossibly tall American GI where they least expect it.

Ability to read – Emma Carroll has the unique ability to drag you from wherever you are and dump you within the pages of her stories. You feel as though you are right next to the characters as they go charging off on adventures. It was easy to read this, to read about these characters and the heroic acts they performed. The book flowed very smoothly and the American GI was the string that bought them altogether. I was able to imagine what I was reading and at no point did I feel lost in the language or find myself not able to understand what was happening.

Characterisation – Stanley’s character was reserved and quiet. His sister told him he was too whiny. Watching Stanley become heroic was warming to the heart. His life at Frost Hollow Hall seemed daunting and uncertain but he rose to the occasion and proved himself a hero.

Olive was determined and curious. Seeing her interacting with the characters around her, showed her personality in a strong light. I felt she was a very caring character and rather inquisitive.

Velvet was feisty and confident. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and how to do it. It was an honour to watch her win her adventure.

Visualisation – It was easy to visualise what was happening in these three stories. I didn’t felt jolted in-between the stories and thought they tied nicely into each other. I had no problem visualising the heroic acts as they came to place and had a clear vision of each of the characters.

Uniqueness – Previously, I have only read multiple stories in one book when I’ve been reading a crime novel or a thriller/mystery one. The kind where you have the past and present stories running along side each other. These three stories were separate but they all had a linking factor and that is seen quite clearly throughout the whole book. I thought it was spectacular!

Hannah xoxo