WINNER OF THE FCBG CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD 2025, OLDER READERS’ CATEGORY

Escaping war is only half the battle as the Kovalenko family swap Ukrainian dangers for life with a British family.

15-year-old Kateryno and her family live in Kharkiv. Their lives are shattered when on February 24th 2022 the Russian army invades. Their apartment block is struck by a missile. After weeks living in their basement, Kateryno, her mother, and brother, decide to leave, joining seven million Ukrainian refugees. They come to England and meet their host family, the Hawkins. But their new beginning brings a whole new set of problems.