Angel of Grasmere

It’s August 1940 and Tarn has just heard that her brother was lost in the British army retreat at Dunkirk. She, her friend Peter, and the evacuee Eric walk up the hills around their Lake District home, looking out for the dreaded Nazi invasion.

Sometimes Tarn thinks she sees a figure on the fell, and when farm machinery is fixed in the night, and fish left by the church, the villagers think they have an angel looking after them. But the truth proves to be more complicated... 

Switching between Tarn’s point of view and the poor lone man’s war flashbacks, this story is full of empathy. Everyone is dealing with a tough reality – family away serving or dead, bombing nearby, and PTSD – and yet they can still choose kindness. (Or not, in the case of one character.)

This excellent story adds to Tom Palmer’s impressive collection of wartime books, and reminds readers that bombs didn’t just fall on London. 

Written with dyslexic readers in mind, this uses a clear font and has thick pages to avoid show-through, making it accessible to a wide range of readers.

Mae’n fis Awst 1940 ac mae brawd Tarn wedi marw yn Dunkirk. Mae hi, ei ffrind Peter a’r faciwî Eric yn cerdded o gwmpas bryniau Cumbria, yn gwylio am ymosodiad gan y Natsïaid. Mae Tarn weithiau’n gweld ffigwr ar y waun, a phan fo peiriannau fferm yn cael eu trwsio yn y nos, mae’r pentrefwyr yn credu bod ganddyn nhw angel yn gofalu amdanynt. Ond mae’r gwir yn fwy cymhleth...

Mae’r stori hon yn llawn empathi. Fe’i hysgrifennwyd ar gyfer darllenwyr dyslecsig ac mae’n ychwanegiad rhagorol at ffuglen am yr Ail Ryfel Byd.