Shrapnel Boys – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: friendship, family, sacrifice, heroism, WWII.
Children’s book title: Shrapnel Boys.
Children’s author: Jenny Pearson.
Genre: Children’s fiction, historical fiction.
Published by: Usborne.
ISBN: 9781805312963.
Recommended for children aged: 9-12 year-olds.
First published: Paperback May 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: anyone wanting to learn more about what it was like to be a child during a military conflict as, although fiction, this is factually accurate.
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Our review:
Beginning in September 1939, Shrapnel Boys is written from the viewpoint of 12-year-old Ronnie Smith. In many ways, Ronnie is no different from twelve-year-olds in any decade – he gets into trouble at school, argues with his brother Mickey, and his dad is no longer around. After the first air raid threat, Johnny Simmons is asked to build an Anderson shelter in Ronnie’s back garden, which he seems to take as an invitation to become part of the family. It isn’t long before Mickey, Mum Cathy, and Johnny begin spending time together, leaving Ronnie isolated, unhappy, and turning to his friend Lugs for support.
There’s a war going on out there, and I’m missing it.
When war comes to London in 1939, Ronnie Smith is scared and excited: scared of the bombs that fall at night, but excited to race his friends to collect the best bits of shrapnel every morning.
Ronnie and Lugs don’t trust Johnny and are convinced he’s up to no good. As time passes and bombs rain down, Mickey spends more time with Johnny, and his behaviour begins to change. Where do they go together, and why does Mickey suddenly have money to spend? Mum won’t help – she likes having Johnny around and thinks everything’s fine. Ronnie and Lugs know that following someone is fraught with danger, especially during the blackout and nightly air raids, but how else can they find out what’s happening? When they begin to uncover Johnny’s secrets, the two boys realise it’s up to them to prove that Ronnie was right – before they all end up in far more trouble than they could have ever imagined, and their futures are changed forever.
Our verdict:
Shrapnel Boys skilfully combines an entertaining storyline and immediately likeable protagonists with historically accurate details, resulting in a gripping read. Seeing the war through Ronnie’s eyes means there are no political opinions – rather, it focuses on how ordinary families experience the realities of war.
The fact that Lugs is Jewish adds another layer of tension to the story, as does his father’s stance as a pacifist. Johnny’s allegiance to the Blackshirts and his attempts to persuade Mickey and his friends to work with him heighten the stakes. The dangers of everyday life mix with this underlying threat, leading to an action-packed ending.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- The story of Ronnie, Mickey, and Lugs takes place on the outskirts of London. If they had lived in the north of the country, how do you think their story would be different?
- The descriptions throughout this story are factually accurate because the author checked everything with the Imperial War Museum. What parts of a historical novel like this need to be as accurate as a textbook?
- There are many different types of heroism in this book. What does it mean to be a hero? Mr Etherington has been a hero before – does that make it easier to be one a second time?
- Ronnie, Mickey, and Lugs all lose their fathers in the war. Lugs’ dad is conscripted as a stretcher bearer, while Ronnie has volunteered for the Air Force before the war began. Who do you think was the bravest, or is bravery less important than simply doing everything they can for the war effort?
- In a cross-curricular activity with art, design your own Anderson shelter. They were very basic inside – what would you add if you knew you might spend every night there?
Many thanks to Usborne for the review copy.
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