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Col has been evacuated from his London borough home; safe from the bombs and the constant, looming presence of the Nazi invasion. Trapped in the home of his draconic aunt, he pines for his older sister who has remained in the family home to support those who need help in the city. Ever since their father died they have needed one another for support so when Col's sister breaks her Christmas promise to meet up in the family cottage not too far from their aunt's, he is heartbroken and decides to run away.

Meanwhile, a different darkness looms over the land. A fey evil rots the landscape and it is breaking the divide between the magical world and reality. Unknowingly, Col finds that he is not only called to save his sister from the inevitable bombing of London but also that a group of imaginary friends he had closed the door to years ago, have resurfaced and need his help more than ever.

Montgomery weaves together a dizzyingly complex set of characters and plots here with deftness and masterful skill. Not content to just have a voyage and return story at a surface level, that author plays with landscape and history, magic and truthful reality and a host of deeply memorable characters. It is as epic as it is enjoyable and children will be utterly charmed by it.

Although much of the book steers away from the centrality of the war, much like Goodnight Mr Tom, it is clear that the author has spent copious amounts of time ensuring that this is factually as accurate as possible whilst still keeping it in the realms of fantasy too.

Readers are going to love Col's little band of make-believe helpers and the journey he takes too. Magical.