THE SECRET OF SPLINT HALL

Realism and fantasy intertwine in this British import.

Ten-year-old Isobel and 12-year-old Flora are sisters growing up in 1940s England. Daddy was a pilot who died in the war. When their house was bombed, the girls moved with their mother to Splint Hall, her childhood home in the country that is now owned by Aunty Bea, Mum’s sister, and her husband, the detestable Mr. Godfrey. Exploring the house one day, the sisters discover a locked room and connive to get the key. Once inside, they find sketches of dragons done by their grandfather, as well as another drawing of a horrible creature that Isobel immediately knows is real—she has seen it in a cave near town, although no one believes her. Soon, the girls meet Simon, the son of Splint Hall’s former gamekeeper, who was dismissed by Mr. Godfrey, ostensibly for stealing. Simon and his dad have a secret, and so, it seems, did Grandpa. To uncover it, the girls must face their greatest fears. Isobel and Flora’s relationship is drawn with fine nuance—they very realistically squabble and get on each other’s nerves, but they are also heartbreakingly attached. The book superbly renders the traumas of war, especially on children, without hyperbole, for example in the way it ably relates Isobel’s deep fear of being underground, her general insecurities connected to the loss of her father, and her recurring headaches.

Deep truths and children’s resilience grace this well-told story.