The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry (Review by Bruna Looby)

Oh my gosh, what a beautiful and unique book! Let me tell you, I can’t even remember the last time I read a historical fiction that is this unique. The plot twist might not surprise you a lot, but the development of the story is incredible. The whole time, I was like, “Is she alive?” Flora Lea is five years old and she loves her sister Hazel. The year is 1939 and the war is coming to London, and to soothe Flora’s days, Hazel makes up stories about a beautiful and magical place called Whisperwood. It was a place to find comfort. A place with magical elements, and a place where war didn’t exist. It was also the place that made Flora disappear. Flora and Hazel had to leave their mother in London to live with strangers in a small village, for a chance to escape the worst of the war. Living with Bridie and her teenage son Harry turns out to be good – better than what other children they knew were going through. Bridie is kind and smart. Harry is energetic and fun. One day, Hazel and Harry get distracted, and they realize Flora has been missing. Hazel knows that it’s because she went looking for Whisperwood. Twenty years later, Hazel is still living with the guilt that her sister disappeared because of her, and she receives a book from a woman who lives in the US – the book is about Whisperwood. Word by word, with very small changes, the author describes her and her sister’s secret place. But Hazel never told anyone about Whisperwood. So who is this author? How does she know about it? Hazel goes on a quest to search for answers. Did her sister tell anyone about Whisperwood? Could she be alive? Even though this book is a little slow paced (as historical fiction usually is), I read it very quickly. I couldn’t stop reading it. I just had to know what happened to Flora.