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My Secret War Diary, by Flossie Albright
Flossie is just nine years old when, in 1939, Britain declares war on Germany and her father leaves the family home to join the army. Flossie is left to bring up her baby brother and to face a whole host of new experiences on her own. Her diary becomes an outlet for relaying all the news from at home and abroad. From the first evacuees arriving to her sweetheart's being killed in Normandy in 1944, Flossie has to endure much hardship. But her own special blend of courage, humour and fighting spirit sees her through to the Armistice, when she can welcome her dad home at last.Please ask if you need a specific version. The data provided here may not be correct. With buying and not asking you are accepting the book as is.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2008
16 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Williams
74 books50 followersMarcia Williams began to develop her distinctive comic-book style at an early age: "When I was about ten and wrote home to my family from boarding school," she says, "I never wrote normal letters. I tried to tell my family about what I was doing in a way that was more fun. Also, my parents didn't let me read comic books, so I decided to create my own."
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
This former nursery school teacher blends her storytelling skills and humorous illustrations with well-known figures and stories from literature. Her unique style has produced such vivid works and action-packed books as GOD AND HIS CREATIONS: TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Working on the Old Testament was a joy," Marcia Williams says. "The tales are so rich, it is always possible to find something new within them. Yet, at the same time, they have all the comfort of the familiar." The artist also found pleasure in creating CHARLES DICKENS AND FRIENDS, which presents five retellings of classic Dickens tales. Of her inspiration for this book, she tells of a teacher she once had "who was extremely fierce and angry . . . except when she read the stories of Charles Dickens aloud. Through her, all his characters lived, and I was transported to their Victorian world. I hope that readers will also enter the wonderful world of Charles Dickens through this book."
With BRAVO, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE! and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE Marcia Williams introduces young readers to the world of William Shakespeare's plays. Another classic she has made much more accessible to children--and more appreciated by them--is THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY. "My mother read me classics, but until I got older I never found them interesting," she says. "If I could make these stories more accessible, I realized, kids wouldn't have to wait until they were grown-up to appreciate them."
Marcia Williams traveled extensively as a child and was educated in Sussex, England, and Switzerland. During her varied career she has worked as an interior designer and has assisted cartoon artist and designer Gerald Scarfe in making papier-mâché and cloth sculptures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 30, 2015
This is historical fiction in the form of a diary -- the experience of WWII as seen through the eyes of Flossie Albright, a 9 year old girl (14 by the end of the book) keeping a journal of the war years. She lives in the country, near the coast, not far from London, and fairly close to France (geography plays a big part). And she lives with her father and younger brother, her uncle and Cook (the cook?). Flossie lost her mother not long before starting the diary (maybe a year?) and her father goes off to war early on, so Flossie has to take on a lot of responsibility. She receives the diary as a gift and keeping the wartime diary becomes a community effort. People send her letters, pictures, medals, and other memorabilia to keep in there. She adds some newspaper clippings and lots of cartoons and there are little entries by others in her household.
This is a book that would have a lot of appeal for middle graders. Flossy is smart, funny, thoughtful. There are a lot of great characters, many of them animals. It does a great job of evoking the atmosphere and language of the times and describing what it is like to live in a time of hunger and rationing, constant fear of military invasion and loss of loved ones. It also brings to life a sense of how communities came together as families were torn apart. The dynamics weren't overly simplified. Theres quite a bit of acknowledgement of death and destruction, and yet the book manages to be a gentle historian. We witness both the horrors of wartime and also the wonders of war -- how it gives people a sense of purpose and and often moves people to appreciate their loved ones.
On the other hand, it's pretty big (clunky) and long and some of the writing, in style and content, might present challenges to middle graders. And there are some things that I felt a bit uncomfortable with or found frustrating. When Flossie writes in code, well, one would have to get out pen and paper to work it out and I certainly didn't have any interest in doing that. So I ignored those passages (three or four of them?). Maybe that's what the writer was going for, but I doubt it. And, well, there is something that doesn't sit quite right with me about the token Jewish refugee kid and the token black American soldier. A little forced and bathetic.
So, I was between a three and a four but decided on a four.
This is a book that would have a lot of appeal for middle graders. Flossy is smart, funny, thoughtful. There are a lot of great characters, many of them animals. It does a great job of evoking the atmosphere and language of the times and describing what it is like to live in a time of hunger and rationing, constant fear of military invasion and loss of loved ones. It also brings to life a sense of how communities came together as families were torn apart. The dynamics weren't overly simplified. Theres quite a bit of acknowledgement of death and destruction, and yet the book manages to be a gentle historian. We witness both the horrors of wartime and also the wonders of war -- how it gives people a sense of purpose and and often moves people to appreciate their loved ones.
On the other hand, it's pretty big (clunky) and long and some of the writing, in style and content, might present challenges to middle graders. And there are some things that I felt a bit uncomfortable with or found frustrating. When Flossie writes in code, well, one would have to get out pen and paper to work it out and I certainly didn't have any interest in doing that. So I ignored those passages (three or four of them?). Maybe that's what the writer was going for, but I doubt it. And, well, there is something that doesn't sit quite right with me about the token Jewish refugee kid and the token black American soldier. A little forced and bathetic.
So, I was between a three and a four but decided on a four.
September 10, 2016
A beautiful handwritten diary with lots of colour illustrations, letters and sketches. Flossie tells the story of her family life in England during war years. Lots of information about the war, will appeal to Intermediate and secondary.
December 4, 2015
Summarize the book:
This is a book about Flossie Albright who was a child in England during WWII. This diary was written by Flossie, in her words, about her time living and growing up during war time. The book is full of pictures, drawings, and advertisements that Flossie has cut out and pasted into "her diary". We follow Flossie during pre-war when there are rumors of war, during the days of war when there are refugees, shortages, bombings, and ups and downs, and finally to the end of war with celebrations, homecomings, and coming to terms with those that won't be coming home.
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:
This is a historical fiction diary, in that it is written about an actual time and place in history but from the viewpoint of a fictional character. Many of the events in the book did actually happen, however the character of Flossie and her family and friends are fictional.
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:
In the classroom you could use this book to show a child's perspective of what war looks like. You could also take parts of it and incorporate them into history lessons about the events.
Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:
This book is for grades 3-7, however if they don't know cursive writing yet then the students are going to have a difficult time reading this book. The writing is made to look handwritten, and since cursive writing was more common during that time the writing is in cursive. This book could also be integrated into the classroom by using it as an example, and have students research and write their own diaries about a historical time period.
This is a book about Flossie Albright who was a child in England during WWII. This diary was written by Flossie, in her words, about her time living and growing up during war time. The book is full of pictures, drawings, and advertisements that Flossie has cut out and pasted into "her diary". We follow Flossie during pre-war when there are rumors of war, during the days of war when there are refugees, shortages, bombings, and ups and downs, and finally to the end of war with celebrations, homecomings, and coming to terms with those that won't be coming home.
Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:
This is a historical fiction diary, in that it is written about an actual time and place in history but from the viewpoint of a fictional character. Many of the events in the book did actually happen, however the character of Flossie and her family and friends are fictional.
Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:
In the classroom you could use this book to show a child's perspective of what war looks like. You could also take parts of it and incorporate them into history lessons about the events.
Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:
This book is for grades 3-7, however if they don't know cursive writing yet then the students are going to have a difficult time reading this book. The writing is made to look handwritten, and since cursive writing was more common during that time the writing is in cursive. This book could also be integrated into the classroom by using it as an example, and have students research and write their own diaries about a historical time period.
March 30, 2012
This is an amazing book to read! I loved it so much. In my year 6 class we started a 'thematic' topic of World War 2. This book has so much details of the war that you could use it both for Literacy and History lessons.
This is the war diary of 'Flossie Albright' who is a child living away from London with her Uncle, baby brother and for a while her dad (who joins the army). Flossie records what life is like/what happens to her during WW2. Flossie also experience evacuee's living with her.
The structure of the book makes it very engaging for children to read, it has flaps to open, letters to pull out of envelopes, its very colourful and the font of the text is written as the handwriting of Flossie Albright. There are real newspaper clippings, posters of WW2 and real photos. Children can really engage from the point of view of various characters within this book, especially from Flossie as it is written in first person. The author has not made the the topic of WW2 'depressing' as it can be a sensitive topic to teach however the author has balanced the events in the book quite well.
This is the war diary of 'Flossie Albright' who is a child living away from London with her Uncle, baby brother and for a while her dad (who joins the army). Flossie records what life is like/what happens to her during WW2. Flossie also experience evacuee's living with her.
The structure of the book makes it very engaging for children to read, it has flaps to open, letters to pull out of envelopes, its very colourful and the font of the text is written as the handwriting of Flossie Albright. There are real newspaper clippings, posters of WW2 and real photos. Children can really engage from the point of view of various characters within this book, especially from Flossie as it is written in first person. The author has not made the the topic of WW2 'depressing' as it can be a sensitive topic to teach however the author has balanced the events in the book quite well.
December 28, 2015
Several of the letters were torn out of my library copy of My Secret War Diary, so I feel like I missed some important parts. Also, I was too lazy to decode her secret code and decided instead to just guess what it said. Despite this, I liked this book. It seems like a really well done account of the war effort in England from the perspective of a downstairs girl in rural England who is 9 when the war starts and 15 when it ends.
December 10, 2009
This is a wonderful book for all ages. Flossie's experience of the Second World War from the age of nine is portrayed in the form of a diary, with lots of drawings and secret flaps to lift, scrapbook-style.
May 15, 2020
I will read it again but I forgot what happened in it AGAIN!
August 30, 2015
This is an absolutely beautiful book! Flossie is a young girl of I think eight or so when the second world war starts, and as the title states this is just basically her diary through to victory in 1945. It's simply written and has little non-war asides so her character really comes shining through. She lives in the country so her house of course ends up with evacuees from the city (and one German boy, Simon, who is another fabulous character) and land girls, she's far removed from the bombing action but not from the war itself - her mother died a year ago and now her father's off fighting so she has that fear that she and her baby brother (who we get to watch grow up) will end up orphans.
The diary is gorgeously illustrated and written in lovely child's cursive, and is peppered with letters to take out of envelopes and secret notes to unfold. The only part I didn't really care for was when Flossie wrote a few things in her secret code... there was a key, but it was many pages ahead of the first two coded messages, and I did flick forward a little to try and find it but it wasn't instantly visible so I just gave up. When I found it, and the third coded message, I simply couldn't be bothered translating I'm afraid! As a kid I know I would have instantly grabbed a pen and paper and worked it all out... I still remember doing that in The Eleventh Hour, and STILL remember that "ovofox" is "eleven" haha!
I liked how this book did touch on a bit of sadness, it's still mostly a cheery kids book but it's also realistic in that not everyone came through the war unscathed.
The diary is gorgeously illustrated and written in lovely child's cursive, and is peppered with letters to take out of envelopes and secret notes to unfold. The only part I didn't really care for was when Flossie wrote a few things in her secret code... there was a key, but it was many pages ahead of the first two coded messages, and I did flick forward a little to try and find it but it wasn't instantly visible so I just gave up. When I found it, and the third coded message, I simply couldn't be bothered translating I'm afraid! As a kid I know I would have instantly grabbed a pen and paper and worked it all out... I still remember doing that in The Eleventh Hour, and STILL remember that "ovofox" is "eleven" haha!
I liked how this book did touch on a bit of sadness, it's still mostly a cheery kids book but it's also realistic in that not everyone came through the war unscathed.
January 27, 2020
This is an autobiography through a journal during the time of WWII. This book follows the life of Flossie Albright. Her father is in the War during WWII. She writes a diary about her life and notes that she gets from her father. This book follows different events that happen throughout the war and getting a view of it from a kid. This shows different groups that were formed during the time, such as a group for girls joining to help the war, women starting more jobs as well as another event. Such as groups leaving Germany.
I would use this book in class if we were learning about WWII. This is a good informational text for that, and it goes towards this event in a very kind way considering the topic. I would do this in a read-aloud sense in probably more 4-5th grade. I would also use this book if we were trying to help kids journal. Kids need to learn to journal for science and just ways to remember things. You could make a project for them journaling a little bit over their spring break. This could be part of English. You could introduce this by having this be a book your class looks at.
This is a WOW book for several reasons. One reason is that it tackles a very difficult topic but from the viewpoint of someone around their age (a little older). It does a great job of it and makes it more relatable and not so out there that students have a tough time understanding what all was happening. It is also a WOW book because of the way it was set up. This book uses a lot of illustrations and a lot of pop-ups. It makes students want to engage it in and makes it fun to read!
I would use this book in class if we were learning about WWII. This is a good informational text for that, and it goes towards this event in a very kind way considering the topic. I would do this in a read-aloud sense in probably more 4-5th grade. I would also use this book if we were trying to help kids journal. Kids need to learn to journal for science and just ways to remember things. You could make a project for them journaling a little bit over their spring break. This could be part of English. You could introduce this by having this be a book your class looks at.
This is a WOW book for several reasons. One reason is that it tackles a very difficult topic but from the viewpoint of someone around their age (a little older). It does a great job of it and makes it more relatable and not so out there that students have a tough time understanding what all was happening. It is also a WOW book because of the way it was set up. This book uses a lot of illustrations and a lot of pop-ups. It makes students want to engage it in and makes it fun to read!
October 30, 2011
The diary of a girl growing up in England during World War 2. The content is quite comprehensive (though I wish she could have mentioned Canada's contributions too). I also really liked all the sketches and artifacts included (real photos, newspaper clippings etc.) and the pop-ups. It brought the whole war experience wonderfully alive. I did think the writing could have been a little better - I got flippin' tired of readin' the word "flippin'"! and there was a lot of what I consider bad grammar, though it may have been realistic for the location and class. I also think it could have evolved a bit more as Flossie aged. Still, few books illustrate the life of a child growing up during the war better than this one does. Well worth reading. B.
July 8, 2011
SO cool. It's the journal/scrapbook of a fictional character in WWII England. Glad I finally got to it. Put it on my to read list when it was brand new ... and here it is, what. Two or three years later? You can't get to all of them right away. :X
Loved all the little foldouts and doodled drawings!
Her "voice" was very well done. Flossie seemed real. I did not know that "flipping" had ever been a British swear word. ;]
Actually there were lots of wonderful characters. Frankie. Simon. "Boo." Uncle C.
The only thing not so cool about it is that it is written in tiny cursive script. I had a hard time in some places. I have to think for many kids it would be an issue.
Loved all the little foldouts and doodled drawings!
Her "voice" was very well done. Flossie seemed real. I did not know that "flipping" had ever been a British swear word. ;]
Actually there were lots of wonderful characters. Frankie. Simon. "Boo." Uncle C.
The only thing not so cool about it is that it is written in tiny cursive script. I had a hard time in some places. I have to think for many kids it would be an issue.
March 26, 2009
This was a fictional diary made by a girl named Flossie Albright, and it takes place during WW2 in England. I loved the fold-out letters, and the format was really nice. It was informative, and the first-person perspective made it very interesting. Because this is geared toward...late elementary, early middle school, I'd say, the author did a good job of balancing the truth of the time without making it too depressing. It was quite long, and I'm not sure that the intended age group would actually make it all the way through, but I found it very enjoyable.
April 27, 2010
This is an excellent read. So cool to read an account of World War II from this perspective. I loved the pop out notes and letters. There were so many creative illustrations and additions that I really thought I was looking at a scrapbook.
September 11, 2010
Amazing, scrapbook-like tale of Flossie Albright, a British girl whose father goes to fight Hitler. Detailed, interactive, even a little on the heavy side, in terms of subject matter and presentation.
wish-list
January 27, 2011I like books that have a diary format because I think they can engage kids to think about writing. Carrie wrote about this one at 5 Minutes for Books.
March 21, 2009
Fans of the Amelia's notebooks and diary-formats will like this heavily illustrated scrapbook about a girl growing up in the British countryside during WWII.
July 21, 2013
Excellent! Very convincing young narrator, beautiful use of diary entries, illustrations, and historical images. Heartfelt, imaginative, and genuine.
February 16, 2014
This was an amazig book about the world war 2 and helps you understand it a lot better amd I like the adventures and problems the main character overcame
June 14, 2014
Wonderful way to explore the history of the Second World War from the perspective of a child living thru it.
September 12, 2025
An unusual book... it's classified as juvenile fiction, but it's not. It's formatted as an actual diary/ scrapbook. It follows its MC, Flossie from age 9, when her father leaves her to go off to war, leaving her with the unnamed little brother and their mother's grave, to age 15 when she is looking forward to becoming a nurse when the war finally ends.
It's chock full not only of everyday occurrences in the countryside, but notes on the progress of the war and how it affected the English populace and includes letters from friends for you to unfold, "clippings" from newspapers, even drawings of her pets and friends. I learned a lot about the various aspects of the war I hadn't known and highly suggest the hardback edition for your WWII library, if you keep one. Due to its highly graphic presentation, I don't think the paperback edition would hold up.
It's chock full not only of everyday occurrences in the countryside, but notes on the progress of the war and how it affected the English populace and includes letters from friends for you to unfold, "clippings" from newspapers, even drawings of her pets and friends. I learned a lot about the various aspects of the war I hadn't known and highly suggest the hardback edition for your WWII library, if you keep one. Due to its highly graphic presentation, I don't think the paperback edition would hold up.
May 25, 2018
A fictional Second World War diary.
The story is compelling and is a great way to learn about the War. However, there are a few negatives:
-a few inaccuracies, for example, in the 1930s children had to have birth certificates and a child couldn't go unnamed for a year.
-grammatical errors. Flossie appears to be a bright child and well trained at the village school. Although, she might have spoken with grammatical errors, I doubt that "ain't" would have reached her writing.
-the font. This seems to have been selected to appear like handwriting but it makes the book virtually impossible to read for a child with any significant degree of dyslexia. The font in the earlier book, "Archie's War" is much easier to read.
The story is compelling and is a great way to learn about the War. However, there are a few negatives:
-a few inaccuracies, for example, in the 1930s children had to have birth certificates and a child couldn't go unnamed for a year.
-grammatical errors. Flossie appears to be a bright child and well trained at the village school. Although, she might have spoken with grammatical errors, I doubt that "ain't" would have reached her writing.
-the font. This seems to have been selected to appear like handwriting but it makes the book virtually impossible to read for a child with any significant degree of dyslexia. The font in the earlier book, "Archie's War" is much easier to read.
February 19, 2019
Oh my goodness I loved it it’s so heartwarming and even though the were a few sad bits her language like saying flipping it was really cute so instead of me feeling sad for her it made me laugh because of mourning over everything she just got on with life (even though at some sad parts I was a bit shocked).I also came over this book by in Year 4 we were learning about WW2 and we only read the first few pages of the book but I loved the fold out cards so my mum bought it online and I just sat on the sofa and got to page 100 and just stopped ( I don’t know why) because it’s lovely (of course not the sad parts) I would recommend this book from 8- whatever age (I think I liked the book when I was younger because she was my age.
October 6, 2019
A diary is good way for children to put themselves in the shoes of another person, especially the diary of a child. ‘My Secret War Diary’ is written from the viewpoint of Flossie Albright, a 10-year-old girl, who’s experiencing World War II. The illustrations, foldout pages, annotations and language are particularly special, introducing the feeling that you are reading the original diary.
I would use this book to introduce the idea of World War II in the history class, and what it would’ve been like to be a child during this time. The children made find it easier to understand the effects of the Second World War by comparing their lives to that of Flossie Albright. This book could also be used to teach grammar, spelling and self – correction.
A very entertaining read!
I would use this book to introduce the idea of World War II in the history class, and what it would’ve been like to be a child during this time. The children made find it easier to understand the effects of the Second World War by comparing their lives to that of Flossie Albright. This book could also be used to teach grammar, spelling and self – correction.
A very entertaining read!
February 12, 2023
I sometimes think I’m the luckiest girl in the world that I get to read books for my job.
This is going to be our inspiration for next term and I can’t wait to share it with the children. There’s so much going on so we can not be able to cover it all but I hope I do it justice.
Whatever age you are you’ll live this insight to WWII from a child’s point of view and the little pull out bits are an added bonus!
This is going to be our inspiration for next term and I can’t wait to share it with the children. There’s so much going on so we can not be able to cover it all but I hope I do it justice.
Whatever age you are you’ll live this insight to WWII from a child’s point of view and the little pull out bits are an added bonus!
March 20, 2018
Staff Pick
Ellen
This is a funny and also sad book about Flossie Albright during World War II. Flossie must take care of her new baby brother with her mother dead and her father away at war. Flossie's story is told in her scrapbook, with lots of letters, artwork, and scraps! You can lift flaps, unfold programs, and take letters from envelopes as you read "My Secret War Diary!"
Ellen
This is a funny and also sad book about Flossie Albright during World War II. Flossie must take care of her new baby brother with her mother dead and her father away at war. Flossie's story is told in her scrapbook, with lots of letters, artwork, and scraps! You can lift flaps, unfold programs, and take letters from envelopes as you read "My Secret War Diary!"
February 20, 2018
its a good book it explains to you why the father has top leave tot he army and the little girl doesn't understand why he has to leave. and the daughter wonders why she has to take care of here younger brother while the mom is working to keep her kids feed and health during the war
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2022
this was a very cute book and a great way to learn more about ww2 :)
November 5, 2022
One of my favourite books from childhood - it's such a comfort read!
June 16, 2023
It was very engaging and a fun twist on the history of the war. It was sweet and emotional all the way through. Enjoyed seeing it through the eyes of a child.
February 12, 2024
The most beautifully written ww2 diaries i have ever read. Really makes you feel what life was like living in the country in ww2, really makes you believe flossie was a real person
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews