Under a Fire-Red Sky Award-winning author by Geraldine McCaughrean (author)

“Masterful story of Blitz Britain…a beautifully told coming-of-age story.” The Telegraph, Children’s Book of the Week
“An emotion-packed tale of survival, heartbreak and hope.” Lancashire Evening Post

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Geraldine McCaughrean comes an utterly immersive and unforgettable novel set during the London Blitz, inspired by her firefighter father.

With the Second World War looming, four young people sit on a train waiting to be evacuated to a safer place…but they don’t want to go. They climb out of the carriage and head back home to Greenwich, forming an unlikely friendship.

They spend their days trying to be useful. Laurence is building a secret machine. Gemmy searches bombed-out homes for things of value – only to find an adorable mutt she can’t even give away. Franklin wants to join the Fire Service, although it means lying about his age. Olive looks after her father, who is broken by the deaths of his fellow firefighters. And together, the four roam the streets of London, discovering their resilience amongst the secrets of the city.

But as the Blitz unleashes a barrage of bombs on London, turning the sky ragged with flame, can the friends keep each other safe and survive?

Product Details

Catalogue number

563 in Setanta Primary May 2026

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9781836040774

Publisher

Usborne Publishing Ltd

Date published

April 10th, 2025

Accelerated Reader

AR book level: 5.3; Upper years; 8.0 points

Other details

288 pages

Condition

New

Author/Illustrator

Geraldine McCaughrean

Geraldine McCaughrean was born and educated in Enfield, North London, the third and youngest child of a fireman and a teacher. She attended Christ Church College of Education but instead of teaching chose to work for a magazine publishing house. Her favourite assignments included the best-selling children’s partworks Storyteller and Little Storyteller. Only in 1988 did she become a full-time writer. Since then, Geraldine has established herself as one of the most exciting children’s writer’s today.

She often visits nearby schools to talk about being a writer and play story-making games, and, of course, to find out what the really important people – the readers – are thinking.

In 2004, the Great Ormond Street Hospital trustees launched the search for an author to write the sequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s novel Peter Pan. Geraldine was chosen from over 200 applicants, and Peter Pan in Scarlet became a bestseller in 2006.

Geraldine and her husband John live in Berkshire and have one teenage daughter, Ailsa. In all, Geraldine has written over 140 books, mostly for children, as well as plays and poetry, and has been published in 25 languages.