In Midwinter Burning we start off in prehistory and the scene is set for a midwinter offering, this sets up the rest of the book, especially the idea of outsiders.

Evacuated away from London and his indifferent mother, Alfie Wright thrives in his new life with 'Auntie' Bell and her son, Ted, at Coombe Farm in Devon. A sensitive, different boy, he is no longer 'Alfie Wrong', but is cared for, managing to make friends with Smidge, a mysterious lad Alfie meets when exploring his new surroundings. However, as war is declared, talk in the village turns to the need for the village tradition of the Midwinter Burning at the ancient clifftop stones to continue to prevent the Darkness from returning. Eyes once again turn to Alfie, the outsider, and then Smidge goes missing. Can Alfie find the truth behind village legend and help his new friend before it is too late?Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...

We then go to London on the eve of the Second World War and Operation Pied Piper, a voluntary evacuation of children three days before the declaration of war with Germany. Here we meet Alfie, another outsider with a life of rejection and bullying behind him.Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...

Alfie Wright is a young boy in Britain in 1939. He is, unlike many children, pleased to be evacuated as the reader gets a sense that he has a negative relationship with his mother. He is evacuated to a remote farm with the immensely kind and understanding ‘Auntie Bell’ and her husband, Ted.Nonetheless, ‘Midwinter burning’ is a beautifully written story, which I think everyone should read, especially the fans of historical fiction and time travel stuff (not quite but I have no idea how to describe that in English other than ‘timeline mishmash’).

Midwinter burning’ absolutely stole my heart with it’s incredible storytelling, heartbreaking plot surprising metaphors with life lessons for readers of all ages, beautiful quotes and well-written characters. The book was gripping from start to finish and although the story was simple enough to be understood by children, it was deep enough to give adults something to think about. Carnegie Medal winning Tanya Landman is the author of more than thirty books for children and young adults. I would recommend this book for children aged 9+ (Year 5 and 6). I can see how this book would fit perfectly into the curriculum in many ways. Firstly, as a whole class guided reading text as the pacey story with short chapters would work well. I would also use this text as a model text for writing units on historical settings, mystery and adventure story writing and obviously as part of a World War Two unit. I really enjoyed how the story drifts between Alfie and Smidge's different historical worlds and the special friendship they build. The ending of the story is tense and dramatic as their two worlds collide and the mysterious legend of the Midwinter Burning takes place. I loved Tanya’s previous books, especially Horse Boy, so was really pleased to get a chance to read her new one.A historical time-slip adventure for middle grade readers, from the Carnegie Medal-winning author of Apache and Buffalo Soldier. Midwinter Burning is rich in historical detail and vividly captures landscapes and characters. As it builds to its tense and exciting climax, the reader is left with the glow of hope that both Alfie and Smidge are set for a better future than the one they might have had, saved by their friendship across time. A brilliant read! He even eventually makes a friend called Snidge, but his friend is a mystery with a different language and different clothing, Alfie doesn’t want to mention him to others just in case the paranoia of an upcoming war affects this friendship.