Day’s YA: UNDER A FIRE-RED SKY

UNDER A FIRE-RED SKY by Geraldine McCaughrean
9781250225535 (TP) | 9781250225542 (HC)
11/4/25
Flatiron Books
Ages 12-18

E-galley available on Edelweiss and NetGalley

Greenwich, England. 1940. On board a train meant to evacuate the children of Greenwich to safety, four teens decide to embark on a journey of their own. Lawrence, Gemmy, Franklin, and Olive sneak off the train and quickly become a rag tag group of friends they call the Meridians. They tell their families that the school is offering a special track to students who intend to go to university, but really they spend their days roaming the streets of London. They’re too young to enlist, but desperate to make a difference. When they’re not together, Lawrence hides in his garage building a flying machine that he keeps secret from everyone else; Franklin will do anything in his power to join the fire service; Gemmy lives in her van and hunts through bombed and abandoned homes for anything valuable; and Olive cares for her family, especially her fireman father. As the Blitz rages on, the four friends keep each other safe as the world around them goes up in flames.

Geraldine McCaughrean’s historical novel is so well-researched that I felt transported to the streets of England, right alongside the Meridians. Her storytelling is powerful and nuanced, and she masterfully weaves together the perspectives and struggles of the four main characters, who are the beating heart of the novel. The narrative is immersive and profoundly moving, while also surprisingly funny for a book set during a war. It’s a masterpiece of a novel—both heartbreaking and hopeful—about friendship and the power of community during hard times. And I especially appreciated the lovely author’s note at the end detailing how this story is inspired by the author’s father and his life as a fireman during the Blitz.

“McCaughrean writes with a light touch; her words dance as they show the organic growth of the quartet’s relationships and their nonjudgmental mutual acceptance. This story of great complexity deftly and expertly shows how unconscionable violence can expose the artificiality of many absolutes and boundaries. Compelling, heartbreaking, and vibrantly alive with hope and courage.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Happy reading!
<3 Emily

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