Ruby and her mother remain in London during WWII, waiting for her father’s return, and when he finally comes home after the war, everything has changed. Ruby’s ruins are all around, not just in the rubble of the buildings she plays in with her mates but also in her own emotions as her relationship with her father must be rebuilt. With a richness of details in both the text and the realistic illustrations, Hughes has brought to life a particular time and place, and a particular little girl, showing a small moment of growth within a single character. (Ages 5–8)