Hurricanes Over London

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.

Prior to his grandfather’s death, Jamie Davis, 14, of Red Deer,
Alberta, had not been particularly close to the elderly man. However,
when Jamie discovers his grandfather’s World War II journal, he
encounters his grandfather as Charlie, a 14-year-old in 1939, who, with
his best mates in London, England, was experiencing war firsthand. While
reading the journal, Jamie also finds a connection to Calgary, Alberta,
via one of Charlie’s heroes, Willie McKnight, a Canadian pilot who
flew with the famous 242 Hurricane squadron.

The book tells two stories, with the one set in the past being the much
more engaging tale as readers see such major WW II events as the Battle
of Britain and the London Blitz through teen eyes. Originally, the war
is just one big adventure for the lads, and they cannot wait to join up.
An underage Charlie enlists in the Home Guard while his friends, Sammy
and Puddy, become Royal navy and Merchant Marine sailors. The historical
section concludes in April 1943, as Charlie, following the deaths at sea
of Sammy and Puddy, leaves for naval training. The contemporary story,
involving Jamie’s search for infor- mation about Willie McKnight,
seems forced, especially the sections concerning Jamie’s visits to
Calgary’s Aerospace Museum and his role in securing the cockpit
instruments needed to restore a Hurricane. While both Jamie and Charlie
are the same age, Charlie’s voice is much more adult. Like Jamie, most
middle-school readers will be eager to return to Charlie’s story.
Recommended.