Tomorrow Is a Stranger

by Geoffrey Trease

German occupation of the Channel Islands.

Genres: World War II, Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Robert Geoffrey Trease (1909-1998) was a prolific writer, publishing 113 books between 1934 (Bows Against the Barons) and 1997 (Cloak for a Spy). His work has been translated into 20 languages. His grandfather was a historian, and was one of the main influences towards Trease's work.

He is best known for writing children's historical novels, whose content reflects his insistence on historically correct backgrounds, which he meticulously researched. However, with his ground-breaking study Tales Out of School (1949), he was also a pioneer of the idea that children's literature should be a serious subject for study and debate. When he began his career, his radical viewpoint was a change from the conventional and often jingoistic tone of most children's literature of the time, and he was one of the first authors who deliberately set out to appeal to both boys and girls and to feature strong leading characters of both sexes.

Reviews

[Tabitha Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so under-rated. I read it when I was a child and I keep returning to it because it is a beautiful story of love and resilience in difficult times, and the ability to see what a person is really like - not judging a book by it's cover.

[Dave Hartley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an unassuming book. A cover of its day, more famous five than international best seller at the airport...however this is a rattlingly good read. Over too quickly, yet a great story and I learnt about life in Guernsey during the 2nd world war. This is a book about people and relationships. Not much actually happens but that's life, and it's glorious. Even at the end you are left thinking where will that relationship go after i shut the book.

It's clear why Malcolm Gladwell would take his books to a desert island.

A first class story teller

[Christina Baehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative if emotionless portrait of life in Guernsey under the German Occupation, from the perspective of two children. I learned a lot about the plight of the Channel Islanders, but it was too dispassionate to raise a tear. Still, for that reason it might be useful for teaching WWII history to a child you don't want to upset. From memory, I'd go for Number The Stars by Lois Lowry first.