£8.99
Christmas 1943 – Twelve-year-old Harry is one of 3000 people forced to leave the coast in Devon as US troops move into the area. Secret rehearsals on the beach just weeks before the D-Day landings go badly wrong. But what if Harry has left his most treasured possession behind?
I am away between 26th January and 28th February.
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Christmas 1943 – Twelve-year-old Harry is one of 3000 people forced to leave the coast in Devon as US troops move into the area. Secret rehearsals on the beach just weeks before the D-Day landings go badly wrong. But what if Harry has left his most treasured possession behind?
What if he goes back for it? What if, at the worst possible moment, he is The Kid on Slapton Beach?
ISBN 978-0-9535123-2-4
Published by Wight Diamond Press
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Wight Diamond Press –
“In a bookshop in Dartmouth, I spotted a novel based on the events of Exercise Tiger. The Kid on Slapton Beach by Felicity Fair Thompson tells the story of the evacuation of Slapton and Torcross from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy. This beautifully produced novel (suitable for children or adults) is a compelling adventure with a proper villain and a brave young protagonist. In simple, pacey prose, the turmoil of the characters is dramatically conveyed, against the backdrop of Torcross and Totnes, giving a real sense of the upheaval of a community and the terror and confusion of war.”
Tony Gillam: Passengers in Time blog
Wight Diamond Press –
“a beautiful and challenging read. My 13-year-old son was moved to tears.”
From Facebook
Wight Diamond Press –
“There are great and terrible tragedies in war. But there are also the little tragedies, personal to one or two people but just as heart-wrenching. The beautifully written ‘The Kid on Slapton Beach has both. The year is 1943; Christmas is just a few weeks away. Harry, along with his mother and little sister, are uprooted without warning, just before Christmas, and told to leave their village in Devon and find homes elsewhere. In the scramble to leave, Harry’s precious box is left behind. Among other treasures, it contains his only photo of his father, missing in action in Italy.
Harry’s unhappiness at the upheaval and his desperate quest to recover the photo are the small tragedy that define this book. The catastrophic outcome, all the more harrowing for being true, is one of the great untold stories of World War Two. What makes this story so powerful is that the events unfold through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy. The author evokes brilliantly the powerlessness and frustration of a child whom nobody has consulted or informed.”
Perdisma: Review from Amazon
Wight Diamond Press –
“Based on the true story of US troops descending on Slapton Sands to practise for the D-Day landings, this tale is told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Harry, who is one of the three thousand local people who had to leave their homes to make way for a secret military exercise that had a tragic outcome. Well researched and vividly told, this book is a compelling choice for both local readers and those visiting the area for the first time, who want to learn more about the secrets of the past that this coastline holds.”
Harbour Book Shop Kingsbridge
Wight Diamond Press –
“A potent combination of war story, rite of passage and the angst of stressful family relationships, set against a factual backdrop – no less extraordinary for being factual – The Kid on Slapton Beach is a captivating read. Work lay untouched, phones went unanswered, meals were late… I couldn’t put it down!”
Gill Kaye Ingenu/e Magazine
Wight Diamond Press –
“I read it in one go…a great story and very well told.”
Anna Home – Chair of the Children’s Film and Television Foundation
Wight Diamond Press –
“Superb on so many levels… I couldn’t put it down. I can see the landscape, feel its texture, smell it. And I can see twelve-year-old Harry, and all those villagers and their struggles. It’s powerful. I found myself close to tears when I read it and smiling too. A wonderful book!”
Michelle Magorian, author of ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’
Wight Diamond Press –
“This book is beautiful. You can’t stop reading even though you don’t want it to end. The writing is sparse yet full of feeling without a trace of sentimentality. I understood and cared about these people. In this imaginative tale about families who reacted to a true historical event, I wanted to know what happened next. A jewel!”
Actress June Brown – Dot Cotton in East Enders
Wight Diamond Press –
“A great read that rushes to a brilliant climax!”
John Ovenden, ABC Broadcaster and Journalist Australia
Wight Diamond Press –
“…a pivotal moment in the war…”
Joint Forces Journal USA