London Calling
By Edward Bloor
“What did You do to help?”
London Calling is journey to find truth. The intriguing story of Martin, Jimmy, and a Philco 20 Deluxe Cathedral Radio that Martin’s grandmother leaves to him upon her death. Part historical fiction, time travel, ghosts, and present day bullies this story also has a message for fathers and sons. What will you answer upon your death, “What did you do to help”? Highest Recommendation. Audio book read by Robertson Dean is excellent.
Booklist Review
When an old radio transports Martin back in time to London during the Blitz, the seventh-grader makes startling discoveries that fuel twin quests: one to expose the unflattering truth behind two World War II heroes casting long shadows in his life, and the other to answer a young Londoner's eerie pleas for help. Every bit as provocative and open-ended as Bloor's Crusader (1999), this genre-defying novel incorporates mysticism steeped in Martin's Catholic faith and a present-day trip to London that connects two troubled father-son relationships across the decades. Bloor demands much of his readers, especially concerning the diplomatic issues leading to U.S. involvement in World War II, and many will have questions about where the facts end and invention begins. Ambitious yet unwieldy, this may work best as a fictional supplement in history classrooms, where it will open discussions of both the slippery qualities of historical truth ("Who decides what the real history of a time is?") and the nature of genuine heroism. Jennifer Mattson Gr. 6-9.
