FREE BLITZ KIDS: THE CHILDRENS WAR AGAINST HITLER PDF Sean Longden | 560 pages | 06 Sep 2012 | Little, Brown Book Group | 9781780335520 | English | London, United Kingdom Blitz Kids: The Children's War Against Hitler - Sean Longden - Google книги Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Blitz Kids by Sean Longden. From the dangers of London streets during the Blitz to working on the high seas during the Atlantic Convoy, children were on the frontline of battle during the Second World War. In Sean Longden's retelling of the conflict, he explores how the war impacted upon a whole generation who lost their innocence at home and abroad. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. More Details Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Blitz Kidsplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. May 19, John rated it it was amazing Shelves: book-drive, biographicalnon-fictionww2. Most of the time when you read about British teens during WW2 they are plane spotting and collecting scrap metal, going through evacuations and generally observers of the conflict. The teens in this book are totally involved in the war. The youngest were in the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy, they could sign up at age 14 and become sailors with very little training, much less than the Army or Air Force training. Some 15 year olds lied about their age to get into the Army. By D-Day some were thr Most of the time when you read about British teens during WW2 they are plane spotting and collecting scrap metal, going through evacuations and generally observers of the conflict. By D-Day some were three to four year veterans of North Africa and Italy and sharing their knowledge of how to stay alive with much older fresh recruits. One fellow had been a prisoner of war from age 14 to Incredible stories of very young men and women growing up in ways they never could have envisioned. I will certainly look for more books by Longden. Dec Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler, Caroline rated it liked it Shelves: british-historyworld-war I was disappointed with this book. Not because it's not an excellent book, well-written, comprehensively researched, sympathetic and engaging. It is indeed all of those things. Sean Longden really succeeds in bringing to life, through his engaging narrative and first-person accounts, what life must have like for the youth of Britain growing up during wartime, suffering through the Blitz, being evacuated, volunteering for service, being bombed, under fire, ships sunk, kill or be killed. For an Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler I was disappointed with this book. For an account of life as a young boy at war, I would imagine this book has few rivals. Reading this book you wouldn't know that women or more appropriately girls, given the topic were involved in WW2 at all. Where are the girls training as nurses and being posted to field hospitals in the thick of the fighting? Where are the references to the thousands of young women and girls in the Women's Land Army? Where are the munitions girls? Where are the young girls who stayed at home with their mothers when their fathers and brothers went to Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler Where are the girls raising Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler younger siblings whilst their mothers worked all day? Quite frankly, where are the girls? There is one single chapter that focuses exclusively on girls and young women, Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler the topic? I appreciate that the story of the young girls of Britain is not as exciting as that of the boys - probably both for the writer as much as the reader. The girls were not being sunk at sea aged fourteen; were not teenage cadets being trained with rifle and bayonet; were not running away to join the Navy or Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler Commandos Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler the infantry; were not seeing the horrors of war before they'd even reached eighteen. But to neglect their story so entirely can only be a deliberate decision on the part of either the writer or the publishers, and that is shameful. The story is only half-told in this book, and as such, for all its other excellent qualities, I was disappointed. It really ought to be entitled 'Blitz Boys'. Oct 11, Rory John rated it liked it. This book was interesting and taught me a lot about the efforts of children and teenagers during the war that I wasn't previously aware of. In particular the effects of blast from bombings, the work of merchant navy boys, and the Bethnal Green disaster stood out to me. I barely knew anything about these topics going in, but feel I have a basic understanding Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler even some specific knowledge now I've finished reading. However, I do think the book covered too wide a range of topics to be fully enjo This book was interesting and taught me a lot about the efforts of children and teenagers during the war that I wasn't previously aware of. However, I do think the book covered too wide a range of topics to be fully enjoyable and immersive to many readers. Those who want to read historical accounts of prostitution and those interested in the commandos, for example, are not necessarily going to have a massive overlap. However, this is just a small criticism and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the stories too much. The main reasons I couldn't rate this book higher were 1 the pacing 2 the way certain parts were phrased. I felt that the author didn't have a completely clear idea of which sections were meant to be about which specific topics; many times I found myself confused as I learned more about an event I thought was finished with several chapters before. In terms of phrasing, the use of certain sentences made me wince; the author sometimes linked topics in the same messy way I would in a GCSE history essay. However, despite its flaws, I enjoyed this book overall. I would definitely recommend it to those interested in the efforts of children during the second world war. In the introduction to this book, Longden explains that he is not offering another anthology of tales from the evacuation. This is not a real life Goodnight Mister Tom. Instead, what Blitz Kids offers is a searing and at times painful account of the lives and struggles of the young people caught up in World War II. While much has been written about the under-age volunteers during World War I, those in World War II have had far less coverage and indeed as Longden points out, they often still face In the introduction to this book, Longden explains that he is not offering another anthology of tales from the evacuation. While much has been written about the Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler volunteers during World War I, those in World War II have had far less coverage and indeed as Longden points out, they often still face suspicious looks at veteran events as if they cannot truly have been involved. From the Blitz-struck streets of London to the cold seas of the Atlantic, to those marching across central Europe, Longden is finally singing their song. The book does give a lot of focus to the experiences of the young men of the Merchant Navy which is not surprising given that particular service took boys as young as Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler. While many young men were able Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler lie about their age and serve in the army, very few were able to defraud their way into the RAF, meaning that its chapter is comparatively short. Equally, the book does concentrate on the stories of boys rather than girls, again because it was the boys who served overseas. Longden's book has a far-reaching scope and a deep sympathy for the lives of its subjects, it is highly readable and filled with the anecdotes and reminiscences of a generation caught in this catastrophic conflict. Longden details the enthusiasm which initially drew these young people Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler serve while under-age. Some were anxious to leave unhappy homes, others felt a patriotic desire to 'do one's bit' and as the war progressed, still others signed up to avenge the deaths of loved-ones. One young Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler volunteered after his brother was seriously injured. Upon confessing to his brother, he was frog-marched back to the recruiting office where his true age was declared. Unfortunately, the sergeant decided it was too late, the boy had signed on. Still, the passionate protective instinct of his sibling was truly affecting. Many parents did try to prevent their offspring from enlisting and on certain occasions they were successful - Stan Scott was turfed out of the army twice for being under-age.