After the War

Master storyteller Tom Palmer returns with a deeply moving and beautifully told novel of friendship and belonging, inspired by the incredible true story of the Windermere Boys.

"The best children’s fiction book I’ve yet read about the Holocaust" – Tim Robertson, CEO Anne Frank Trust

Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Leo and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover.

But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares. As he waits desperately for news from home, he fears that Mordecai and Leo – the closest thing to family he has left – will move on without him. Will life by the beautiful Lake Windermere be enough to bring hope back into all their lives?

Reviews

"The best children's fiction book I've yet read about the Holocaust" – Tim Robertson, CEO of Anne Frank Trust UK

"Devastatingly moving and massively important, and crucially, fantastically accessible" – Books for Keeps

"[Palmer's] most compelling bit of real-life hidden history yet" – The Letterpress Project

"A touching, concisely told yet never dumbed-down, story of childhood during wartime. If you are new to his books, then prepare to be astounded" – Books for Topics

"Full of heart and hope" – INIS

"The theme of moving forward is beautifully portrayed in After the War by Tom Palmer. It’s a must-read because it shows how young Holocaust survivors had to rebuild their lives, offering a rare look at what survival really means …" – Bookstr

About the author

Tom Palmer was a reluctant reader as a child and credits articles about football with getting him into reading. He is now the multi-award-winning author of many books for young readers, including the Young Quills Award winner After the War and FCBG Children’s Book Award winners Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog. In 2019 Tom was awarded the National Literacy Trust’s Ruth Rendell Award in recognition of his significant contribution to literacy work in the UK.