War Nurse: The Diary of Kitty Langley, 1939-1940

My Story: Girls

by Sue Reid

This is the diary of Kitty, an 18-year-old VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment), during the years of 1939 and 1940. As a nurse working in the military hospitals in the south of England, Kitty sees at close hand the effects of war - notably the casualties of Dunkirk. The diary details the historical events and describes the day to day life of a young VAD in a military hospital in WWII. It's also a story about growing up. She is a girl transposed from a comfortable protected existence into the harsher world of a wartime hospital who begins to learn a bit about life and relationships.

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, Middle Grade, Historical, War, Childrens, Diary

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2005

Reviews

[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you look at that? It's my childhood calling.

I have to thank the My Story: Girls series, Horrible Histories series and also The Lady Grace Mystery series for single handedly making me the historical fiction and history lover that I am today.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk <3

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - but the girl on the cover looks about 12! I get that these are for children, but seriously. It's not about a child playing dress-ups...

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great insight into life as a nurse in WW2

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

War Nurse is a good book but has horrible happenings! 19 year old Kitty Langley trains to be a VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachments) and starts when WWII starts. While here older brother Peter fights as a solider. There she works with her friends Bunty, Molly,Marjorie and meets Nurse Jean Mason whom she shares a room with. At first Jean seems a bit distant but after a while Kitty discovers she is poor and that she can't give back so that's why she didn't take a chocolate from Kitty when she offered her one the day they met and why she was so reluctant to take a biscuit from Kitty too. Soon they warm up to each other and become good friends. Kitty's best friend Anne is also a VAD but she gets sent to work some where else. She promises Anne she'd keep a diary and Anne promised her the same. They also write to each other. While she's a VAD Kitty works really hard and gets little pay and has to follow the Sister's orders sometimes on very short notice. She also experiences the horrible sight of wounded soldiers suffering . Kitty kinda has a boyfriend called Giles who is a pilot for the RAF (Royal Air Force) but she soon discovers that she dosen't like him the way age thought. Later in the book he dies. The Germans were power hungry people. Not all of them were to blame though. One day the Germans bomb the hospital and sets one of the patients beds on fire. Kitty bravely saves the patient by grabbing some sheets and puts the fire out burning her hands and arms in the process. She faints after that and she wakes up in the hospital. She gets congratulated by a Matron and gets told that everyone in the hospital is proud of her. She returns home so her hands can completely recover. She mentions that she'll be back before hopping on the train to go home. I almost cried cause there were heaps of things that were mentioned in this book that made me want to cry. On every bed is a solider loved by someone and who longs to see someone again. To many innocent people died because of the 2 wretched WWs and I believe we should not let such sadness or horror happen a again. But there are still wars. i just hope WWIII won't exist. In every war to many innocent people die. The Historical Note was very interesting as well as the pictures. The bonds shared in this book are strong. Kitty's mother is so kind to her so is Jean. I loved this book! It's made me want to help people who are suffering from war or give to charity. I'm sure this book will make you feel the same after you read it! Sara ;)

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

War Nurse by Sue Reid

This is about a girl name Kitty how signs up to be a red cross nurse in a military hospital. She work along side her room mate nurse Mansion and her friends Bunty, Molly, Marjorie. In this story she try to keep s in touch with her brother Peter and her boy friend Giles. Well working in the hospital she experiences many injures and losses of lives and horrible incidents.

I think theme them of this book is that war comes with a coasted. I think this because she is treating soldiers how have been injured well in action. A lot of these soldiers die in the hospital and some are treated and discharged. The results of the war were described In the book by mean lying on the floor in the corridors because there are not enough beds for them.

I would recommend this book to other readers. If you like reading war books the then you will enjoy this book as well as people hoe like to read diaries of interesting points in history. This book is good to read because there is always action and there is back ground problems as well.

[Seamus Mcduff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. The only reason I read this is that it relates to some research I'm doing, but what it aims to do I think it does very well.
This is aimed at school-aged readers but it quite readable and informative for adult readers. The detail comes across as authentic; it appears well researched. Sometimes the exposition is a little heavy-handed, as though a scene only exists to convey historical information, rather than serving the story, but given the educational intent, I think this is quite acceptable.

Overall a worthwhile read for anyone interested in life on the home front and in a military hospital in Southern England, 1940.

[Molly]

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

During World War II in England there was a shortage of nurses so they used VADs, short for Voluntary Aid Detachments, akin to what we now know as Nurse Aides. They were trained by the Red Cross and did a lot of the "grunt work" in the hospitals. This book is the (fiction) journal of one such VAD and how she starts out as a nervous young girl and in through all her trials becomes a competent , mature "Nurse".

[Emmeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and it must've taken me around a week or less to read it because I just couldn't put it down. Some of the things that happened in the book brought a tear to my eye and that rarely happens to me when I read a book. It was very well written too and it has to be my favourtie 'my story' book.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so good it tells u how it's like in the war

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think i was a very good story about the horrors of the second world war

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

[Jen]

enjoyed this one :)

[Young Adult Historical Vault · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so thoroughly enjoyed this one--it's sweet and warm and funny and sad all at the same time. I think it would have benefited at being aimed at a slightly older audience--aging it up a bit would have allowed Reid to lean a little heavier on some of the more mature themes--but ultimately it's still a well-done and very solid story.

For my full review including spoilers, check out Young Adult Historical Vault. https://yahistoricalvault.com/2017/02...

[•°☆ Annabelle ☆°• · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was really interesting to see what life would have been like for a war nurse, but the storyline was also great. This book was quite easy to read and didn't exactly have me hanging off the edge of my seat, but it was a great book if you like this style of this book.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty constantly complains that she's not given enough "real nursing" tasks, yet as a member of the VAD, she shouldn't expect to be doing everything that a professionally trained nurse does. She bears a strong resemblance to the Cherry Ames books of the 1940s.

[Sofía Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so good and it taught me about war.

[Alice English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like these kinds of books as they are written as a diary and you can learn facts about the past at the same time

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Mousmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 Stars.

[Karen McNamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insight into a WW2 English military hospital! A great, easy read, transitioning young girls into young women! I wished it was longer!!

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice little book but read so mangy like this I lost interest. Maybe pick it up another time,

[Irem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and sue Reid is a good author

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, however it was a little boring at the start. I'm glad I read it!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book about nurse and doctors

The book nice type of different book to read. Her working as an nurse. Her brother and dad working as well. And here friend as an pilot.

[Ellamay McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dressed up as Kitty for book week. I loved that book so much. 🥰

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its one of the books i bought years ago and have been promising to read. Actually very enjoyable, easy to read story about the war. Not going to set the world alight, just an easy book.

[Emily H · Rating 5 out of 5]

three words
BEST BOOK EVER

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this entries (fictional) journal. about a 18-years old VAD, nursing wounded and sick soldiers in WWII. This shows how exactly terrible a war is, it is ruining a lot of lives. I sincerely liked this.

[Nectaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF page 74

I tried really hard to finish this but I couldn't. For some reason it couldn't keep my interest.