Josie Under Fire (Historical House, #5) by Ann Turnbull

Josie Under Fire (Historical House, #5) Reviews

• 
  Wendy Bamber

  Picked this up while tidying and got drawn in pretty quickly! Part of a series centred around the inhabitants of a house in London, this one describes Josie’s short stay with her aunt and cousin during the Blitz. Josie’s brother Ted is a conscientious objector and therefore Josie is shunned by everyone at home, so this is a chance for her to make new friends where nobody knows about him. Her cousin’s friends bully a girl in their class, and fearful they will all find out about Ted, Josie doesn’t so much as join in, but doesn’t do anything to help. When a secret about the bullied girl comes out and the bullying intensifies, Josie knows she has to do more than do nothing. This is a really enjoyable look at wartime Britain, disturbing descriptions of bombing aftermath but the same everyday troubles of girls trying to make friends. Middle grade fans of Jacqueline Wilson and post-Alice Miranda etc would enjoy this whole series, others are also based around historical events and the place of girls and women.
• 
  Daisy May Johnson

  I have a lot of love for the Historical House series - a group of novels focused around a specific house in London. The books are written by some stunning authors: Adele Geras, Ann Turnbull and Linda Newbery, and very much worth a look. It's a massively underrated series and I really enjoyed
  this article this article written by Adele Geras which went 'behind the scenes' of the series and elaborated on where it came from.
  
  Josie Under Fire is lovely. Set in the turbulent time of World War Two, Josie's gone to live with her cousin Edith whilst her mother cares for her invalided grandmother. Josie's hoping that this could be a fresh start in a place where nobody knows the truth about her brother, a Conscientious Objector.
  
  Turnbull's created such a gloriously believable character in Josie. She's vividly realistic and realistically flawed. But you root for her. You do. It's hard not to be moved by Josie's journey in this book - particularly when she realises that bravery comes in many forms. There's no mistake with this title having parallels with the phrase 'courage under fire'.
  
  I massively recommend this series for the under twelves - and girls in particular. These are books where girls are brave and scared and strong and weak - and real. I love them. And I love Josie.
• 
  Kristen

  This series took a nose dive with this one. My biggest issue is that I can't stand these draft dodger sympathizer stories. While Ted wasn't technically a draft dodger (and I did appreciate him taking responsibility for his decision), that was more or less the idea. The message being that whatever you decide is awesome so long as you stand up for what you believe in. Usually standing up for your beliefs is a great message, but not all beliefs and decisions are admirable. Something that was illustrated pretty well when Josie comes to the realization that her decision to not join in with the bullies wasn't cutting it. Apparently Josie is wrong for standing by and allowing an innocent girl to get bullied, but Ted deciding not to fight in a war, where children are being slaughtered by the thousands, is awesome. Because 'wars are bad'.
  
  I also didn't care for the fact that there's no satisfactory resolution to the kid's bullying Alice. Josie feels really bad about it the whole book, she finally decides to stand up for her at the end, and miraculously manages to convince her spineless cousin to say she'll apologize, but it never actually happens. It just ends with their good intentions. After being little monsters for basically the whole story. And please tell me why we need to see the 12 year old girl swearing in a 1941 historical kids novel?
• 
  :)))))

  I don’t normally pick up children’s books/ middle grade novels, but this was an unexpected pleasant surprise. I thought the author so creatively wove in the shocking facts about the Blitz and war during everyday life. I was particularly shocked in the beginning when the Aunt is about to go out and takes her essentials: here coat, her bag and her gas mask. Those two words were placed there so nonchalantly, a careless after thought, signally this to be part of their everyday routine. But as someone in the western world who hasn’t experienced war, these words struck me. I also loved the message of the book as well. As Jordan Peterson says, knowing that you are a monster, for most people that means being a moderately bad person, which is very different to being a terrible person. So knowing you are capable of inflicting harm and as Ted and Miss Rutherford say, and yet you choose and make a conscious effort to empathize with that person and not do what others did to you. And be able to stand up for what you believe in. It was simply captivating and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A job well done!
• 
  Faith Fawcett

  I’ve always loved to read wartime stories and this was no exception. The characters all felt very real and I couldn’t put it down!
• 
  Elisabeth Lovelace

  I am a big history nerd and these books really portray it well.
• 
  Isobel Gilbert

  Interesting read about the war for Y4/5 children.
• 
  Amalie

  I absolutely love the "Historical House series." Josie Under Fire by Ann Turnbull (the same author of Mary Ann and Miss Mozart) is the 5th book and is set in London during the WW II (1941).
  
  One thing I noticed when I began this book was, No.6, Chelsea Walk, the imaginary house in the series, is in fact based on a real house in London. The bombing of the local church and some other significant events during the Blitz indeed had taken place in 1941.
  
  Josie (Josephine Bishop) is sent to live in Chelsea with her cousin Edith by her parents for her safety. She is glad to start her life here from the shame that has haunted her family since her brother Ted is found to be a pacifist. Ted is is old enough to join the army, but strongly objects to fighting.
  
  Here in a new school with new friends, Josie is ready to start a new life but soon it comes to an end when she learns the family secret of timid Alice Hampton, who is being bullied by her new friends. Josie faces a dilemma: to stand against Edith and other children bullying Alice, if so, will Edith tell everyone her own secret.
  
  I felt this novel gives a number of massages to young readers about bullying, being bullied, discrimination and the conventional idea of bravery and heroism is put into question. It makes the reader to question: "how much do we really understand ." This novel also brings a familiar character from "Polly's March," the forth novel of the series. A good novel to read for both children and for the adults.
  
• 
  Libby

  Josie Under Fire by Ann Turnball, set in World War Two London, is about a girl called Josie. She is staying with her cousin Edith and aunt Grace for a few weeks whilst her mother cares for Josie's grandma, who has just broken her hip in the blackout. Josie hopes that staying with Edith will be a fresh start, as she is starting a new school where no one knows her family.
  Josie's brother Ted is a pacifist. He is old enough to join the army, but storngly objects to fighting. Josie feels embarrassed of her brother, and ashamed. She tries hard to fit in at her new school, even if that means joining in with the bullying of Alice Hampton, so similar to what she had to withstand from classmates in her previous school.
  But when Ted comes to visit Josie and turns out braver than Edith's pilot brother Peter, Josie realises that patriotism and bravery come in more than one way, and diasater turns her into a better person.
  
  I really liked Josie Under Fire, because there was lots of feelings, historical facts, and description in a easy quick read. I would rate it 4 stars.
• 
  Infamous Sphere

  I would have loved the hell out of this book when I was a child. The Historical House series came out too late for me to enjoy in my childhood but the second I saw this book in the library, reprinted, I snapped it up. "YES another one of this series! The library must be purchasing all of them!" So far the only one the library system doesn't have is Girls With Courage by Adele Geras. Unfortunately since I read the Polly one (Girls For The Vote) a while ago, I can't remember if Polly's surname was Rutherford and whether she's Miss Rutherford or not, but it's implied. The idea of the interconnected stories appeals to me so much.
  
  This isn't the best WW2 story I've read but it's very good - and I think it might have been the only children's one I've read that features conscientious objecting, so extra points for that.
• 
  Gretchen

  The "Historical House" series is about a house in London that survived many natural and man made disasters and occurrences; and its inhabitants, all young girls, over the years. This series had the potential to be great, but fell very flat in its execution. None of the characters are very believable, and hardly change throughout the book. The storyline in each story is very predictable, which, I admit, is one of the drawbacks of historical fiction, but there are many ways one can spice up history. This book fails to suffice for an audience over the age of 12.
• 
  Twina

  This is a good book, a sweet story. It touches on concepts from other perspectives. It is definitely for 8-10 year olds who haven't fully learnt about the war. This book gives a vague description to new learners. The characters are vaguely described. Overall it was a moderate book with both it weaknesses and strengths. To a new learner about WW2 this is a must read book.
• 
  Mared Owen

  Best book in the historical house series!!! =D it was like reality. AMAZING!!
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  Sophie

  i did enjoy the book. It was the first history based book that I have read and I think it was great at informing pepole about what it was really like for a child in those times.
• 
  Jemimah

  Very good. Ann Turnbull is a very good children's writer. Boldly speaking, I can't say the same for her teenager's books. :-D
• 
  Dian Turner baldwin

  amazing story...really good to realise the thoughts and feelings of children in the blitz.
• 
  Jess

  A quick read, but a different take on WWII, set in England, a girl dealing with the fact that her brother is a Conscientious Objector.
• 
  Amanda

  Another in the Historical House series with Cecily's Portrait. Really enjoyable, with a pretty good lesson on standing up for what's good and right.
• 
  Sienna

  This was a very inspiring story. I like how one of the characters in the previous book was in this book. It was very well written.