Tails of Flame

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Set in Britain during the latter stages of World War II, Tails of Flame
centres on the adventures and everyday life of 10-year-old Tim
Athelstan. In February 1944, Tim moves with his mother and his younger
sister, Sarah, to the quiet village of Medbury. (The family was bombed
out of homes on two previous occasions.) Bill Brewer, a Canadian cousin
and bomber pilot, is shot down over France in June. Bill’s fate is
unknown, as is that of Tim’s father, a Royal Engineers Captain
reported missing in Italy. In addition to family concerns, Tim must
contend with the unwanted attentions of local bully Chalky White. He
must also conquer his fear of wearing a gas mask. (During the bombing
raid that destroyed Tim’s first home, he almost suffocated when earth
clogged his mask.) When the Germans introduce their jet-powered V1
flying bombs, with their “tails of flame,” the possibility of a gas
attack resurfaces, as do Tim’s fears.

Readers in Grades 3 to 6 will be satisfied by this period piece in
which the various story lines end happily. Recommended.