What do you think?
Rate this book
In Spite of All Terror
The place was England, the time autumn 1939. The schoolchildren of London's East End were being evacuated in their thousands to the safety of the country. Among them was Liz Hawtin, a Grammar school girl who until now had been the unwelcome addition to the family of her Aunt Ag in Nile Street. Evacuation was for Liz the exciting opportunity for a fresh start with new people, new surroundings, new ideas.
203 pages
First published January 1, 1968
1 person is currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Hester Burton
26 books6 followersHester Wood-Hill was born on the 6th December, 1913 at Beccles in Suffolk.. She attended Headington School Oxford between 1925 and 1931 and then Oxford University between 1932 and 1936 when she received a honours degree in English. In 1937 she married Reginad W.B. Burton and had three daughters. For a while she was a part-time grammar school teacher and the Assistant Editor of the Oxford Junior Encyclopaedia.
Between 1960 and 1981 she produced eighteen books for children, most of them for the Oxford University Press and many of them illustrated by the incomparable Victor Ambrus. In 1963 she was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Children’s Literature for her story “Time of Trial”. Hester Burton died in 2000.
Between 1960 and 1981 she produced eighteen books for children, most of them for the Oxford University Press and many of them illustrated by the incomparable Victor Ambrus. In 1963 she was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Children’s Literature for her story “Time of Trial”. Hester Burton died in 2000.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 21, 2016
One of my favorite books from my childhood.
March 8, 2011
In her New York Times review of the novel Time of Trial, Mary Stoltz wrote:
“When Hester Burton…writes a historical novel, it is not a modern romance with appliqués of research but a sound portrait of the period, presented with unobtrusive scholarship.” (NYT Book Review, May 10, 1964) This description could just as easily be applied to Burton’s 1968 World War II novel In Spite of All Terror, an ALA Notable Children’s Book. The title is taken from a speech given by Winston Churchill on 13 May 1940 in the House of Commons:
“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”
Burton’s novel begins in 1939, a year before this speech. Liz Hawtin, 15, has been living with her Aunt Ag, Uncle Herb and their children in a poor section of London since her father died in an accident when she was 12. Her mother died when Liz was 3. Liz knows that Aunt Ag resents having to care for her, even though her father’s insurance money pays for her private school (which he insisted she go to) and helps support the family. But now the money is running out and it is possible that Liz may not be able return to school for her last year. Then the Germans invade Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and Britain announces plans for evacuating all school children to the country in case of war at government expense. In September 1939, Britain and France declare war against Germany and evacuations begin. Liz is sent to Chiddingford, in Oxfordshire and billeted with the Brereton family, consisting of Professor and Mrs. Brereton, sons Miles, Ben and Simon and their grandparents, General and Lady Brereton. She is happy to get away from her aunt until she discovers that Mrs. Brereton wants a boy evacuee as a companion for Miles. Although Liz once again feels like an unwanted intruder in someone else’s home, she does form a strong bond with Ben, Simon and their grandparents.
Liz has many good things in her life, which she doesn’t seem to appreciate and is an annoyingly self-absorbed girl. “What an unpleasant sort of girl I must have been?” she would think [later in life] in anguish. “How arrogant and bitter and full of self pity I was!” (page 15) But this coming of age story is about Liz’s personal victory over her own self-centeredness in spite of all the wartime terrors she faces. The turning point comes when the General and Ben sneak off to answer the call for all small boats to help with the Dunkirk evacuation. Liz realizes what they have done, running away to help them. But they refuse to take her and, after sailing down the Thames, she is dropped off at Ramsgate and told to go home. Volunteering to write out telegrams for the exhausted, wounded returning soldiers instead, Liz begins to appreciate the danger that all the men and women of Britain willingly face everyday in order to bring about victory. It is this realization that motivates Liz’s behavior for much of the rest of the story
This novel held my attention throughout and I, like the NY Times reviewer, found it to be an excellent portrait of the period without it ever feeling like it was a school history lesson. Burton’s detailed descriptions of events during the early days of the war are graphic and chilling, but provide a vivid picture of life in Britain. They are aided by the excellent black and white illustrations by Victor G. Ambrus throughout the novel. One interesting point was that Liz’s father was a communist. Burton describes how, when he wasn’t working in a print shop, he would stand on a wooden box and urge his fellow workers to join the Communist Party, but she never does anything more with it and his views seem to have no influence on Liz’s life whatsoever.
For additional information about Hester Burton and her other novels, see
http://hesterburton.blogspot.com/
The speech referred to above is Churchill’s famous “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” address and may be read and/or listened to at
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/...
For some interesting pictures of the evacuation that are described in the novel when Ben and his grandfather are picking up soldiers see
Rickard, J (19 February 2008), Bray Dunes, East of Dunkirk, 1940, http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
Rickard, J (23 February 2008), The Dunkirk 'Ferry Service', http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
Rickard, J (19 February 2008), Troops wait at Dunkirk, http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
“When Hester Burton…writes a historical novel, it is not a modern romance with appliqués of research but a sound portrait of the period, presented with unobtrusive scholarship.” (NYT Book Review, May 10, 1964) This description could just as easily be applied to Burton’s 1968 World War II novel In Spite of All Terror, an ALA Notable Children’s Book. The title is taken from a speech given by Winston Churchill on 13 May 1940 in the House of Commons:
“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”
Burton’s novel begins in 1939, a year before this speech. Liz Hawtin, 15, has been living with her Aunt Ag, Uncle Herb and their children in a poor section of London since her father died in an accident when she was 12. Her mother died when Liz was 3. Liz knows that Aunt Ag resents having to care for her, even though her father’s insurance money pays for her private school (which he insisted she go to) and helps support the family. But now the money is running out and it is possible that Liz may not be able return to school for her last year. Then the Germans invade Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and Britain announces plans for evacuating all school children to the country in case of war at government expense. In September 1939, Britain and France declare war against Germany and evacuations begin. Liz is sent to Chiddingford, in Oxfordshire and billeted with the Brereton family, consisting of Professor and Mrs. Brereton, sons Miles, Ben and Simon and their grandparents, General and Lady Brereton. She is happy to get away from her aunt until she discovers that Mrs. Brereton wants a boy evacuee as a companion for Miles. Although Liz once again feels like an unwanted intruder in someone else’s home, she does form a strong bond with Ben, Simon and their grandparents.
Liz has many good things in her life, which she doesn’t seem to appreciate and is an annoyingly self-absorbed girl. “What an unpleasant sort of girl I must have been?” she would think [later in life] in anguish. “How arrogant and bitter and full of self pity I was!” (page 15) But this coming of age story is about Liz’s personal victory over her own self-centeredness in spite of all the wartime terrors she faces. The turning point comes when the General and Ben sneak off to answer the call for all small boats to help with the Dunkirk evacuation. Liz realizes what they have done, running away to help them. But they refuse to take her and, after sailing down the Thames, she is dropped off at Ramsgate and told to go home. Volunteering to write out telegrams for the exhausted, wounded returning soldiers instead, Liz begins to appreciate the danger that all the men and women of Britain willingly face everyday in order to bring about victory. It is this realization that motivates Liz’s behavior for much of the rest of the story
This novel held my attention throughout and I, like the NY Times reviewer, found it to be an excellent portrait of the period without it ever feeling like it was a school history lesson. Burton’s detailed descriptions of events during the early days of the war are graphic and chilling, but provide a vivid picture of life in Britain. They are aided by the excellent black and white illustrations by Victor G. Ambrus throughout the novel. One interesting point was that Liz’s father was a communist. Burton describes how, when he wasn’t working in a print shop, he would stand on a wooden box and urge his fellow workers to join the Communist Party, but she never does anything more with it and his views seem to have no influence on Liz’s life whatsoever.
For additional information about Hester Burton and her other novels, see
http://hesterburton.blogspot.com/
The speech referred to above is Churchill’s famous “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” address and may be read and/or listened to at
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/...
For some interesting pictures of the evacuation that are described in the novel when Ben and his grandfather are picking up soldiers see
Rickard, J (19 February 2008), Bray Dunes, East of Dunkirk, 1940, http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
Rickard, J (23 February 2008), The Dunkirk 'Ferry Service', http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
Rickard, J (19 February 2008), Troops wait at Dunkirk, http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/...
November 29, 2024
The title, drawn memorably from a Winston Churchill quotation ("victory at all cost, victory in spite of all terror..."), aptly describes the plot, which begins with the evacuation of London youth to the coast. We meet 15-year-old Liz and her friends, who have varying experiences and degrees of adjustment as they settle in with their host families. Liz gradually makes friends with the eccentric characters she finds herself sharing a home with, and the hint of romance with one of the brothers, deepens her attachment. She gets a first hand taste of terror when she accompanies Ben and his grandfather on their fishing boat to rescue troops from Dunkirk. This is a very 1960s children's book, sparingly and beautifully written, a good story of a society, and a young person, changed irrevocably by war. Upper elementary, early YA.
August 31, 2017
I have read and enjoyed this book multiple times. After recently viewing the movie Dunkirk (which I found disappointing), I decided to read it again, and I was not disappointed. The rescue at Dunkirk forms a major part in the plot, with several characters manning one of the pleasure boats that participated. The main character, however, is Liz Hawtin, a teenager from London who is evacuated to the country fro safety when World War II breaks out. For Liz this is a chance to continue her education, since her late father's insurance money is running out, and she is unwelcome by her uncle's wife. How Liz manages to make a place for herself with the family she is essentially forced upon amidst their trials and tribulations combine to form an excellent story. Highly recommended.
January 11, 2024
A "young adult" book that I would have loved in the 60s. But I still enjoyed it in my 60s.
Read
August 14, 2024I read this book about 50 years ago and recall the impression it made on me. I was about 11 at the time. Must read it again!
November 19, 2024
I owned quite a few of Hester Burton’s historical YA novels back in the late 60s and early 70s. Even after I should have outgrown them, I still bought, read and collected them, particularly if illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (of Time Team fame). “In Spite of All Terror” is, I think, all these years later, having just re-read it, the best of the author’s juvenile novels. It is the story of a teenage schoolgirl and her school mates who are sent to the country following Britain’s entry into WWII.
Through Liz’s experiences the reader gains insight into what that was like for the many children who were sent away for their own safety, to be billeted with strangers away from the cities that were anticipated to be Hitler’s primary targets. Operation Dynamo (the rescue of British troops from Dunkirk), the Battle of Britain and the London blitz are all featured in this book through the experiences of Liz, the members of the family she lives with, and her grandmother back home in London.
Hester Burton’s book is a reminder of the price paid by many in that war, while at home, their loved ones struggled to keep some normalcy in their lives, not knowing if their sons, brothers or fathers would be coming home.
Through Liz’s experiences the reader gains insight into what that was like for the many children who were sent away for their own safety, to be billeted with strangers away from the cities that were anticipated to be Hitler’s primary targets. Operation Dynamo (the rescue of British troops from Dunkirk), the Battle of Britain and the London blitz are all featured in this book through the experiences of Liz, the members of the family she lives with, and her grandmother back home in London.
Hester Burton’s book is a reminder of the price paid by many in that war, while at home, their loved ones struggled to keep some normalcy in their lives, not knowing if their sons, brothers or fathers would be coming home.
September 15, 2023
I’ve wanted to read Hester Burton’s novel In Spite of all Terror for years. I’ve had a hard time finding an affordable copy that didn’t look like it was at risk of decomposing en route. When I spotted this one online I snapped it up.
I’m almost certain I heard about this book on an episode of BBC's "A Good Read", but I can’t for the life of me find out which episode or who recommended it. Whoever they are, I owe them my thanks. I loved this book even more than I had hoped.
It is September 1939 and the children of London’s East End are being evacuated to the countryside. Fifteen-year-old Liz Hawtin is among them. Three years ago Liz’s father died and she was left in the care of her mother’s brother and his wife, the cruel Aunt Ag. She cannot wait to get away from the woman who has made her feel like an unwanted burden since the day she arrived.
What follows is a coming of age adventure story. Liz finds people to care about, people who cherish her in return. It’s touching, and heartfelt, and fun too. My edition has illustrations by Victor G. Ambrus, which is an added joy.
I will definitely be keeping my eye open for more of Hester Burton’s books in the future.
I’m almost certain I heard about this book on an episode of BBC's "A Good Read", but I can’t for the life of me find out which episode or who recommended it. Whoever they are, I owe them my thanks. I loved this book even more than I had hoped.
It is September 1939 and the children of London’s East End are being evacuated to the countryside. Fifteen-year-old Liz Hawtin is among them. Three years ago Liz’s father died and she was left in the care of her mother’s brother and his wife, the cruel Aunt Ag. She cannot wait to get away from the woman who has made her feel like an unwanted burden since the day she arrived.
What follows is a coming of age adventure story. Liz finds people to care about, people who cherish her in return. It’s touching, and heartfelt, and fun too. My edition has illustrations by Victor G. Ambrus, which is an added joy.
I will definitely be keeping my eye open for more of Hester Burton’s books in the future.
February 5, 2009
Moving and beautiful, this book made vivid to me both the London blitz and the heroic evacuation of British soldiers from Dunkirk in a flotilla of small boats. How it felt to be a part of that moment in English history is presented through the eyes of spirited, sensitive Liz Hawtin, one of the children sent to the countryside to escape the bombing of London. She and the Breresford family, with whom she stays, are sympathetic and memorable characters. Being a young girl in my 60's myself, I was especially taken with the grandparents, Grumph and Goose. All in all, an inspiring book to read in dark times.
May 5, 2014
There are a few British swear words and some mature material. I probably would prefer to read it aloud so I could skip some things as I went instead of just handing it to my younger siblings to read.
December 13, 2016
A book that ended too soon for me. I wanted more or a sequel. I wanted to find out where Liz ends up after she finishes school, and I wanted to know what happened to her host family. It was that good.
Read
May 30, 2013One of my favorite books. Love it.
September 16, 2013
Found this a fascinating story about what it was like to live through the War
June 25, 2024
This one broke my heart…again. Why, oh why, isn’t there a sequel??
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews