*Shortlisted

Review by Eshaat, Wellington Primary School, Tower Hamlets
Susan was my favourite character because she was really persistent to find a banana for her mum. I did not like Doreen because she was mean.

From this book I learnt that they had very different types of money during World War II. I also learnt that bananas were mor evaluable that gold! I would recommend this book to other children and there was nothing I did not like about this book.

Review by Effie, Mordiford Primary School Hereford
This book is set in London in 1942, during WW2. The story is about Susanna and her friend Jimmy, who are on a mission to help cheer Susanna’s mum up during the worrying time when German planes were attacking London. Susanna is worried about her mum because she is working very hard in a radio control room, and missing Susanna’s father, who is fighting in Africa.

The children decide to find a banana as a present for Susanna’s mother, but this is proving more difficult than they had planned! Who would have thought such a simple idea would turn out to be so tricky? When the children had tried the usual places to find a banana, they begin to find out all about the world of the black market.

Doreen’s dad was a crook and Susanna was starting to learn why Doreen had the best of everything, whilst most other people had to struggle to eat.

I enjoyed this book because it was so lovely to read about Susanna’s love for her mum and how she was determined to help her. The story describes the hardships of the war, how people lost loved ones, and how people had very little, but it is still an uplifting story.

I learned lots about WW2 by reading this book, for example how hard things were for people because of the blockades, and farmers being away at war. Though Susanna noticed that barely anyone smiled in those days, the book is still uplifting and it was interesting to read about how difficult it was to live in London at the time.

I have recommended this book to my friends because I know they will love Susanna. I enjoyed it even wished the story was longer.

Review by Joseph, Corpus Christi Catholic High School, Preston
I enjoyed the book because it shows me how different the world was during the war to how the world is now. It was interesting because throughout the book they gave facts and descriptions on a history that I don’t know a lot about. Susan is my favourite character because once she puts her mind to something she always tries her best. However, I didn’t like Doreen because she made Susan give away something special to her just for a banana. I also learned the difference between old money and new money, for example 12 pennies in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound and that the war went on for 6 years. I thought the plot was thought provoking because it got me thinking of how dangerous those times were but also how these days we don’t appreciate things as much. I also thought the book had a unique storyline.