Poppy

May 23, 2016
A veteran of historical YA fiction, Hooper (Velvet) brings readers to the cusp of WWI as she introduces Poppy Pearson, a parlor maid at a Downton Abbey–like estate outside London. To help with the war effort, Poppy decides to leave the de Vere estate to become a volunteer nurse. Poppy is shy but capable, excited about the adventures that await her in her new role but also shocked by the sight of soldiers with terrible wounds and the reality of death that surrounds her. Hooper doesn’t shirk from describing the horrors of war (“Private Jones had lost an arm and was full of shrapnel; Private Brown had lost an arm and an ear, and couldn’t remember how”), but she balances them with Poppy’s kindhearted determination, as well as the potential for a class-defying romance (and possible heartbreak) once Freddie de Vere’s eye lands on Poppy. As the war continues and social norms are tested, Hooper gives readers a vivid glimpse into the lives of young men and women seeking to redefine themselves in a world in turbulent transition. Ages 13–up.

July 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Fifteen-year-old Poppy is a parlormaid for the aristocratic DeVere family in World War I-era England. She longs for more than her current status will allow, both in terms of romance-is Frederick, the family's younger son, romantically interested in her?-and ambition. She soon joins the Voluntary Auxiliary Service (VAD) as a nurse. Suddenly, she is thrust into a whole new world, learning how to care for the sick and horrifically injured soldiers who have recently come from the front. And then there's Frederick, whose letters and words seem to hint at wanting more than just friendship. As Poppy navigates her way through caring for injured soldiers and the minefield of social status and her own heart, she hopes to find her place in the world. This is a beautifully written novel by the author of Newes from the Dead and Fallen Grace. Poppy is intrepid, if a bit naive, and wholly likable. Her experience with the VAD is realistically drawn and very readable, and the descriptions of the soldiers and their stories are highly compelling. The romance is a bit rushed and forced, and the ending leaves a wide opening for a sequel. VERDICT Historical fiction lovers will gobble this up and ask for more about Poppy.-Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2016
This British import gives readers a look at one of the ways women served in World War I.A few months into the start of the Great War, Poppy, a 15-year-old parlor maid for a well-to-do British family, gets an offer from an old schoolteacher: she will pay Poppy an allowance so Poppy can train and serve as a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, a sort of unpaid junior nursing squad. Poppy begins her VAD training just as her brother, Billy, and the two sons of the family for whom she worked, Freddie and Jasper, join the army--Billy in the ranks, the others as officers. Details of Poppy's training and work in a large army hospital in England unfurl in leisurely detail from Poppy's point of view, occasionally enlivened by letters from family and friends. Poppy is pleasant but unremarkable, and the story's plot centers around an improbable half-romance between Poppy and Freddie that carries little narrative tension, so the ending, clearly a setup for a sequel, provides limited satisfaction. Though the race of the characters is never mentioned, readers will presume from the setting that they're white. For all that Poppy is working with boys wounded in a notably horrific war, the tone is light, almost distressingly so.This mildly interesting peek into a historical setting reads like an elderly person's memoir. (Historical fiction. 12-16)

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