I know that Iain Lawrence is an award winning writer, but for some reason I had never come across his books until I moved to the small town where we live now. And why did he suddenly end up on my reading list? Because he lives here too. All I can say is lucky me because I hate the idea that I might’ve missed out on his books. B For Buster is set in England during WWII and believe it or not, I have read a lot of books set during this time period. Well, okay, a lot more than you might expect from me, being that I mostly read contemporary YA. First off there’s Jill Paton Walsh’s exciting and thrilling Dolphin Crossing. And there’s a childhood favorite, The Upstairs room. And of course, Anne Frank. But most of my WWII reading comes from the late, great storyteller, Nevil Shute. Probably my favorite is Pastoral. So anyway…now I have another wonderful book to add to my list of WWII favorites, and also just favorites in general. This book is stunning in its eloquence and pacing. The war seen from a sixteen year old’s point of view is simply amazing, believable, and riveting. This is a real page turner. Although, it did send me to my dictionary more than once, and a lot of the pieces would’ve been lost on me except that I was able to put it together through either context or things I learned from Mr. Shute. It’s not the easiest, breeziest YA you’re ever going to read, but it’s worth stopping now and again to look something up. I haven’t read the author’s note yet because I’m letting the book sink in, but I’m sure I’ll learn something else there too. Yeah, I know I always say this, but put it on your list to read!
P.S. They don’t call me Ole Slow Joe for nothing…there’s a glossary of Royal Air Force terms in the back of the book. Oh, well…
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