This article first appeared in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Nov. 2, 2025
In a world filled with news of war, it may be a difficult task to dive into a novel about the history of war, but it would be worth it when it is also about abiding friendship, tragedy and hope.
This YA historical fiction release, from two-time winner of the Carnegie Medal and New York Times-bestselling author Geraldine McCaughrean, will touch the heart of anyone who ever wanted to go home.
“Under a Fire-Red Sky” will make a great holiday gift for anyone aged 12-18. With chapter titles like, “The Gremlin, the Van and the Loser,” how could a teenaged reader not be drawn in? McCaughrean, a prolific and versatile writer, has once again delivered a beautiful story.
Inspired by the author’s father, “Under a Fire-Red Sky” follows a group of friends through the London Blitz in Greenwich, England. As World War II approaches, the children are set to be evacuated by train but they instead escape, deciding that they aren’t ready to let go of their home.
This coming-of-age story follows four friends — Lawrence, Gemmy, Franklin and Olive — as they take a journey across London to seek out its lesser-known wonders and the spirit that keeps the city strong. Dodging bombs and burning buildings, as well as nefarious people, they try to keep each other safe.
As readers learn more about each of the children, they learn the bravery and resilience it takes for a child to survive the Blitz. Though it is a novel for young adults, war stories are approached head on, and the war is not sanitized too much for them. The book is an honest look at the horrors, as well as day-to-day sorrow, war brings. This passage, for example:
“A short while later, the jets of water from the hoses dropped to a trickle. A sudden cascade of ack-ack shrapnel had struck the canvas hoses — even put the standpipe out of use. With terrible irony, the skies opened and thunderous rain began to fall, along with a handful of German bombs, and machine-gun rapid-fire, as a dozen German planes engaged in battle with British pilots.”
The well-developed characters will resonate with readers who may struggle in a difficult economy. As Olive reflects: “The problem always came back to food, now that there wasn’t any of it. She had no actual money to buy it with.”
History repeating itself seems to be on the author’s mind: “It does seem that, every few years, there is an insane need, by powerful men, to indulge in slaughter,” the author’s note says. “Another century, but all the same stirrings. Pieces of peace are shattering yet again. Who will put it right? Who will ever write a solution to war?”
This book is not a solution, as much as a reflection on how humans can band together even as the world explodes around them. The author’s father was a fireman during and before the Blitz, and historical details are accurate with few exceptions (and she tackles those reasons in the author’s note).
Though YA novels often get undervalued for what some perceive as simple storylines, as the children traverse London, nothing could be further from the truth in this complex, nuanced novel. The children’s adventures, and McCaughrean’s robust world-building, make this book one to get lost in.
Incredibly well-researched and emotionally devastating, this gripping novel, brimming with vitality, is a story for those seeking hope in a sometimes-mad world.