Review: Time School: We Will Comfort Them

Time School:  We Will Comfort Them is the final book in the compelling Time School time-slip series which follows four friends as they travel to different periods in history to learn more about members of their families by connecting with them in the past. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but they work wonderfully as a quartet following each of the friends as they explore their heritage.

Whilst his friends have now learned more about their family heritage, 12-year-old Tomma is aware that he knows nothing about his mother’s childhood in Croatia or the circumstances which brought her to the UK.  When he is given the unexpected news by his father that his mother has gone back to Croatia, he is angry and hurt that she doesn’t want him to know her reasons for returning to her birthplace, nor does she make contact with him. 

It is not long before Tomma wakes to the discovery that there has been a now-familiar power cut which propels him and his friends, via an old-fashioned steam train, into another journey back through time to Hickley School in the 1990s for another gripping, heartfelt adventure …

When they arrive at the school, Tomma feels drawn to a girl sitting at the back of the room reading a book by herself.  Overhearing a conversation between her and an older boy, he discovers that Marija has fled from a conflict … could she be his connection with his mother’s past?

I found this to be a heartachingly poignant and heartfelt read as Tomma learns about the trauma suffered by his mother and how it has impacted on her life and their relationship.  He feels incredibly protective towards her and faces up to those who show cruelty towards her when she desperately needs comfort after being scarred by the horrors of war. 

Being back in the company of Nadia, Jess, Tomma and Ash feels like meeting old friends, and I really enjoyed spending time with them again.  Their friendship is built on trust and mutual support and I love how they give Tomma time and space when it is needed, but are also there to offer him the support he needs to deal with what he learns about his family history.

A touching story of the lasting trauma caused by war, and its impact on family relationships.  Perfect for those in Upper Key Stage 2 and beyond.

Thank you to Nikki Young for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.