The Children of the King

London in 1940 and there is fear in the country that invasion by the German army is imminent. France is already under German control. Will England be next? Thousands of children are being sent from London to the countryside, and in some cases overseas, where it is hoped that they will be safe if the Germans start bombing England. Cecily Lockwood, aged 12 and her 14 year old brother, Jeremy, leave London with their mother to stay with their uncle at Heron Hall. The train taking the family to the north of England also carries many other children, evacuees from London. One of these evacuees, ten year old May Bright, is chosen to stay with the family.

While exploring the area, May and Cecily discover two boys dressed in strange clothes among the ruins of nearby Snow Castle. Later Cecily's Uncle Peregrine begins to provide installments of a legend from the area involving the life of Richard III and the political unrest and battles occuring in England at the time. Peregrine asks them to remember that the story, as well as the current events occuring during the war, is about Power.

Themes throughout the book include the effects of war on families and individuals, the class differences in England and that events from the past, especially the quest for power, keep occuring throughout the ages. The story about the Lockwood family is interspersed with chapters about events that may have happened 460 years earlier. Peregrine is careful to point out to the children that the full facts of what happened at that time are not known.

The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett is the set book for English in my grand-daughter's year 8 class in 2023. The book contains many opportunities for discussion, particularly as the quest for political power over other countries continues today . 

The book was first published in 2012, the year that Richard III's body was discovered buried in a carpark. Therefore one of many of the legends about Richard III, that his remains were thrown in a river, has now been disproved.