Letters from the Lighthouse: 'Accessible history with a cracking plot and a character to love' - The Times
May 2017 · Faber & Faber
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18 reviews
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About this ebook
From the queen of historical fiction, Letters From the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll is a stunningly evocative wartime drama, and sure to keep you breathlessly reading to its very last page.
'Has the feel of a classic.' Sunday Times
'A gripping adventure.' Guardian
'Echoes of Michael Morpurgo.' The Times
'Another beautifully written story.' Sunday Express
'The tension builds until the very end.' Daily Mail
We weren't supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren't even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.
February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he's not used to company and he certainly doesn't want any evacuees.
Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post-girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister Sukie went missing in an air raid, and she's desperate to discover what happened to her. And then she finds a strange coded note which seems to link Sukie to Devon, and to something dark and impossibly dangerous.
'A gripping adventure.' Guardian
'A triumph.' The Bookseller
'Carroll sews together accessible history with a cracking plot and a character to love in the strong, principled Olive.' The Times, Children's Book of the Week
What readers are saying:
'I recommend that you buy this book now!!' Hugo, age 11
'Buy this book because it has lots of action, mystery and tragedy.' Joshua, age 10
'A n amazing book.' Skye, age 9
'T his is the book for you. It has secret, mystery and suspense, how could you not like this?' Roman, age 11
'It will be the most incredible book you've ever read.' Ananya, age 9
'Has the feel of a classic.' Sunday Times
'A gripping adventure.' Guardian
'Echoes of Michael Morpurgo.' The Times
'Another beautifully written story.' Sunday Express
'The tension builds until the very end.' Daily Mail
We weren't supposed to be going to the pictures that night. We weren't even meant to be outside, not in a blackout, and definitely not when German bombs had been falling on London all month like pennies from a jar.
February, 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, twelve-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother Cliff are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. But he's not used to company and he certainly doesn't want any evacuees.
Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post-girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister Sukie went missing in an air raid, and she's desperate to discover what happened to her. And then she finds a strange coded note which seems to link Sukie to Devon, and to something dark and impossibly dangerous.
'A gripping adventure.' Guardian
'A triumph.' The Bookseller
'Carroll sews together accessible history with a cracking plot and a character to love in the strong, principled Olive.' The Times, Children's Book of the Week
What readers are saying:
'I recommend that you buy this book now!!' Hugo, age 11
'Buy this book because it has lots of action, mystery and tragedy.' Joshua, age 10
'A n amazing book.' Skye, age 9
'T his is the book for you. It has secret, mystery and suspense, how could you not like this?' Roman, age 11
'It will be the most incredible book you've ever read.' Ananya, age 9
From the queen of historical fiction, Letters From the Lighthouse by Emma Carroll is a stunningly evocative wartime drama, and sure to keep you breathlessly reading to its very last page.
'Has the feel of a classic.' Sunday Times
'A gripping adventure.' Guardian
'Echoes of Michael Morpurgo.' ...
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Ratings and reviews
18 reviews
Lilani Billington
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September 25, 2026
I'm reading this book in school bc I'm in year 6 and i really like this book, the way it speaks about ww2 is really intriguing, although it is a bit like when we were warriors I still don't mind that though as the books overall is really great and I've even asked for it on my birthday wish list, this book is helping me get into more reading.
Stephen O Donohue
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September 27, 2019
I am learning about world war two and it's my favourite subject so far it is such a good book basically everyone
3 people found this review helpful
Nadean Bushell
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November 6, 2025
great but i wanna read more as my class is reading it i wanna be ahead of them before they finish the book and i cant pay yet
About the author
Emma Carroll is the bestselling author of the Dracula & Daughters series, Letters from the Lighthouse and Secrets of a Sun King. She has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Carnegie and the Waterstones Book Prize. Formerly an English teacher, Emma is now a full time writer. Many of her novels are grounded in the curriculum, enabling children to travel through time, from ancient Egypt to Victorian England! Emma now lives in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers.
Emma Carroll is the bestselling author of the Dracula & Daughters series, Letters from the Lighthouse and Secrets of a Sun King. She has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Carnegie and the Waterstones Book Prize. Formerly an English teacher, Emma is now a full time writer. ...
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