A haunting but hopeful novel chronicles the experiences of four white teens at the advent of WWII. Two boys and two girls wait on a train that will evacuate them to the safety of the countryside, but in a spontaneous moment they decide to return home instead. They crawl out the train window, each to their own destiny. Superb writing captures the distinct essence of each character while also masterfully interweaving their stories. Lawrence is an intellectual, a dreamer and thinker, whose teachers said he was too “intense.” Olive is observant, kind, and endlessly irritated by her mother’s nagging. Franklin wants to be a firefighter but gets turned away because of his age and inexperience. The Gremlin is a girl with a difficult past who decides to live in an abandoned van in the woods rather than return to her abusive father. The four teens find themselves spending time together, taking long rambles with the plausible excuse of wanting to learn local history. In time, they become friends, of sorts, and name their group “The Meridians.” When the bombing of London begins, the friends experience the horrors of war: the fires, destruction, and trauma. Their individual lives crisscross and intersect in impossible and beautiful ways, and their circle widens to include connections unbelievable outside of wartime. In part based on some of her father’s history, Geraldine McCaughrean’s well-researched novel is a masterpiece.