The Skylarks' War cover art

The Skylarks' War

Winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award

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The Skylarks' War

By: Hilary McKay
Narrated by: Katherine Press
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About this listen

Winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award 2018.

The Skylarks' War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award-winning Hilary McKay.

Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert. But normal life resumes each September – boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer.

When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them. Can their family survive this fearful war?

 Fiction Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction War

Critic reviews

McKay is at her best in this poignant family drama.
Picking up a book by Hilary McKay is like slipping on bed socks on a chilly night. She knows how to look after her readers by ensuring that her characters are interesting and loveable from the start . . . McKay’s cleverness is that she makes it all fresh and new while making these beautifully drawn characters feel like old friends.
This belongs among the classic of children’s literature . . . Funny, sad, warm, it is about growing up and finding what you love, intellectually and emotionally.
This book is agony and ecstasy, and never have I read such a human and accessible account of World War I. Vivid, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Hilary McKay’s radiant characters touch my heart like real people, friends and loved ones I know well. Possibly the finest writer of our time. (Elizabeth Wein, New York Times-bestselling author of Code Name Verity and The Pearl Thief)
This is McKay at her finest, all the heart and warmth of the Casson family books - with a touch of the Cazalets. It's both a thrilling family adventure and a truthful, heart-breaking examination of the impact of war... [an] exceptional historical novel. (Fiona Noble)
Hilary McKay is surely the heir to Mary Wesley. The Skylarks' War is just lovely. (Charlotte Eyre, The Bookseller)
The Skylarks' War is bloody brilliant, the kind of classic that rings with beauty and conviction and heart-stopping emotion. Not read a novel this good since Eva Ibbotson died. (Amanda Craig)
Hilary McKay is one of the great writers of children’s fiction and this story of love and loss during the First World War is one of her best, told with unflinching wisdom. (Sarah Hughes)
Hilary McKay is a genius. This beautiful book is so many things simultaneously: complex and subtle, beautiful and raw, timely and timeless. I never wanted it to end. (Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, Carnegie-shortlisted author of The Smell of Other People's Houses)
One of my favourite books of the year, this is McKay at her absolute finest. (Fiona Noble)
I laughed, I cried and I wanted all the characters to be my best friend
Winning as ever, with an overall Secret Garden feel
What a brilliant book. I laughed, I blubbed. The painful jolt of the Great War to one family carefully told.
I thoroughly loved The Skylarks' War. The story is at once intimate and sweeping, with Clarry the shining heart of it all. (Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of The War That Saved My Life)
Hilary McKay’s novel is about love as much as war: the effect on children of being deprived of it and the beneficial results on adults of its persistence. McKay is incapable of writing an uninteresting character or a dull scene... I loved it.
McKay couples warmth and grace with wry humour like nobody else out there (Katherine Rundell)
All stars
Most relevant
I have been looking for books that my daughters and I can listen to separately and then discuss. This was perfect. Ideal for 9+ but my younger daughter, 7, enjoyed it too. Some of the story went over her head but I didn't feel anything was inappropriate. It is a serious yet gentle introduction to war tales with some grown up subjects covered in a helpful way for younger listeners. My 9 year old and I have had a few great chats about it. A genuinely enjoyable read/listenfor adults too!

Great book to share with your children

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Such a moving story, heartbreaking at times and then also uplifting. Portrays the harsh reality of the First World War and the effect it had on the men (or boys) as well as those at home. The story also highlights how the war gave some women more opportunities than they would have had previously. Beautifully written, the characters are so real and full of life, I love their humour and funny ways. Narration was excellent and fitted well with the characters.

Stunning

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A beautiful description of two families up to and during and after world War 1. This book clearly describes the psychology of both men and women during this difficult time, boarding school and the effects of parental absence and close family and friendship. The narrator has a clipped no nonsense tone which marries perfectly with the main characters Clarey, her Father, and Vanessa. It is also a summer book reminding us of the beauty of blue skies, sea and sunshine, bathing and horses.

Summer loving

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This was great to listen to while reading along with the book. The narrator brings the story to life.

Amazing Narration

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Just to echo what many others have said - the story told over a number of years really works. The characters are so real that you care about them and somehow do not want to leave them. And the narration is perfect. Not sure what age of children would enjoy this.

A delight.

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