Children’s books

BLACKOUT by Robert Swindells (Random House; €7.10). The beginning of World War 2 hasn’t proved interesting for youngsters Tom, Mary, Gary and Dil who live in the small Welsh town of Golfodd.

The town’s claim to fame is the Golfodd hoard of rare golden Roman coins now perceived to be under threat from German bombing raids.

The gold is under greater threat from thieves. When the 12-year-olds see suspicious newcomers in town they move the hoard to a disused mine. When the entrance tunnel collapses they seem destined to starve to death.

Their only hope is a fugitive German pilot who is trying to make his way to neutral Ireland. The setting, characters and dialogue are authentic, but the ending is contrived. On a point of information, German pilots who landed in Ireland were not returned to Germany until the war ended.

Crusade by Linda Press Wulf (Bloomsbury; €8.35) is based on the extraordinary Children’s Crusade of 1212. Abandoned as a toddler, Robert has since been living rough. Badly scarred in a skirmish with older boys, he hides most of his face under a hood. He finds refuge in church, sleeping in front of the fire in the church kitchen and gleaning a knowledge of Latin by listening to the monks. A visiting abbot takes the boy under his wing and brings him to his own abbey to educate him. Not far away, young Georgette lives with her violent brother and indifferent father and longs for a different life. So when word gets round that a saintly young boy, Stephen of Cloyes, is going to lead a children’s crusade to bring Christianity to the Muslims across the sea, Georgette joins the young pilgrims. Robert, too, joins. The journey is fraught with danger, illness and death. The author has skilfully woven historic fact with credible fiction to create a superb story that will hold the reader to the unexpected ending. Outstanding, for age 13 up.