June 1940. Will Maskall is twelve years old and up till now has more or less been enjoying the war. From his perspective it has brought about changes to his native seaside town of Brighton which are endlessly fascinating to explore: Spitfires, disrupted lessons, easy pennies, mutoscopic voyeurism, gun batteries on the seafront and the Luftwaffe freely distributing highly collectible shiny cannon shells when Messerschmitt 109s strafe Will and his best mate Jamie on the streets.
Brenda, one of Jamie's neighbours, is nine years old and has a different take on the war...and the boys for that matter because she is worried their idiocy might be contagious and infect her little brother Eddie.
As the summer of 1940 progresses the children discover more disadvantages of the war: Access to favourite playgrounds is restricted, chocolate becomes inedible, confectionary stores are steadily running out of sweets and the Luftwaffe and RAF are locked in an epic battle for control of the airspace above England. Trying to make sense of it all in an increasingly bewildering world Will and Brenda forge an unlikely friendship as the war comes ever closer to their home town.
Written with the help of many Brightonians who contributed their wartime memories. Many of the events in this book are based on true stories told by a generation which grew up during a World War.
