Love To Everyone (also published as The Skylark’s War) by Hillary McKay - ADVISABLE

Love To Everyone (also published as The Skylark’s War) by Hillary McKay, 324 pages. Margaret K McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster), 2018. $18.

Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS- ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Clarissa grows up in a home with a loving brother, Peter, and an aloof father. Her best memories are spending the summers with her grandparents in Cornwall. Clarry’s favorite thing about the summers is spending time with her cousin, Rupert, who lived year-round with the same grandparents. Peter and Rupert support Clarry in all she desires, including attending school, which is not normal for a girl in the early 1900’s. When World War I breaks out, Rupert joins the army and is lost to Clarry for many years. Clarry matures as she endures the trails associated with the war and all its terrors.

This coming of age book is a sweet story of a young girl who faces loneliness and heartache with courage and kindness. Hilary McKay creates a tender backdrop to a horrifying war.  While the reader understands the seriousness of the war, there is little mention of gore and death. This book is a good introduction to this era in English history.

MOMMAC