Description
In the 80th anniversary year, Jackie French explores the dropping of the bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which ended World War 2.
1942. Japan has bombed Sydney Harbour. Sixteen-year-old Ossie lies about his age to protect his country, even though it means abandoning his only family, a one-eyed dog named Lucky. Kind-hearted Mrs Plum is already looking after forty-six dogs belonging to soldiers who've gone to war. She can't possibly care for another. But just when she's becoming desperate to find a way to feed them, help arrives: thirteen-year-old Kat Murphy volunteers to care for Lucky and persuades the girls at school to help, too.
As Kat and Lucky grow closer, Kat realises he can still see Ossie, the master he loves. And somehow, Kat and Ossie catch glimpses into each other's lives, too. This extraordinary connection helps Ossie survive when he is taken as a prisoner of war to Japan. There, he witnesses a strange mushroom cloud rise above Nagasaki - the result of a bomb that will take, save and change lives, and forever leave the question: was it worth it?
Taken from eyewitness Japanese accounts of that extraordinary but often misunderstood time, this is a story of quiet heroism and endurance in the face of an unimaginable horror that continues to resound to this day.
Review
Ossie is sixteen and decides he needs to help his country win the war - so he lies about his age and enlists. He has no family except for his beloved dog, Lucky, and he asks Mrs Plum to look after Lucky until he returns.
Mrs Plum already has 46 dogs from other soldiers who have enlisted and she really doesn’t want another one, but when her neighbour Kat volunteers to help her she agrees to look after Lucky. Kat gets all the girls from her school to help with the dogs. They clean kennels, help with feeding and bathing the dogs and write letters from the dogs to their owners to help keep the soldiers spirits up. She also enlists the help of the local community, getting them to donate anything they can spare to help feed and care for the dogs.
Kat soon learns to love Lucky and he attaches himself to her, but he still has a strange connection to Ossie and occasionally Kat feels like she is seeing what Ossie is seeing. When he is captured by the Japanese and then witnesses the bombing of Nagasaki, she sees it too. Will Ossie survive the end of the war, and make it home to Lucky and Kat?
Jackie French has outdone herself with this book. It is beautifully written and describes a time in history that should never be forgotten. Ossie and Kat are fabulous characters, and even though Lucky is a dog he is central to the entire book as he gives Ossie a reason to strive to stay alive. It reminds us of the many sacrifices and hardships everyone endured - both the soldiers and all those left behind.
This book will be well loved by all who enjoy historical novels, and it has many true elements throughout. It also poses the question that is still largely unanswered today - was dropping two atomic bombs worth it? This book will make you smile and cry, and I highly recommend it for all those aged 12 and up.
