From the opening pages of Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash, I knew that this was a historical novel that I would enjoy. Spence-Ash has a way of eliciting intense feelings or painting a vivid picture from a line or two. I have read many WWII stories, but never one where English children were sent to America, rather than the English countryside, to escape war’s brutalities. Additionally, it seems this book is less about the war itself and more about the mixed up, confused feelings of an eleven year old girl, sent away by her family out of love, but left feeling abandoned by them nonetheless. Further, what happens when the child comes to love her new family and the life she knows in America only to be forced to leave it behind when the war ends? With chapters alternating among various character perspectives, the reader is immersed in the joys and sorrows of this complicated experience. I can’t wait to read more!