It's 1940 near Liverpool, England. Joan and her family are going through what everyone else there is going through - the Blitz, rationing, fear for loved ones. But there are some other things - a mysterious man lurking around the neighborhood and a black market scandal.
The story took a while to get going - I guess it was just the set up - but I am afraid most readers wouldn't stick with it long enough. The second half was quite good.

Whistling in the Dark
Shirley Hughes
Candlewick Press
Candlewick
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 14 Nov 2017
I am reviewing a copy of Whistling in the Dark through Candlewivk Press and Netgalley:

1940 Liverpool, thirteen year old Joann finds that her home is under constant threat from the Nazi's, and there terrifying air raids. With the strict rationing's, curfews and blackouts everyone's on edge.
Joann finds one solace and that is going to the movies with her best friend, Doreen, but as the bombings get worse, even that is taken away . Joann is also aware of the strange man that lurks near her home. She doesn't know he is, or why he thinks Joann is able to help him!
As they deal with the worsening Blitz, Joann and her friends make a discovery that can tase the whole community apart? Can the community overcome what they find out?
Can Joann help the mysterious man?
Find out in Whistling in the Dark!
Five out of five stars!
Happy reading!

It's 1940, England in a suburb of Liverpool. The night bombings are focused on Liverpool, but her neighborhood is still on alert in case the Germans miss their target... Her best friend Doreen is her strength through it all. But as their mother prepares to wed, she still doesn't like the man and suspicions of the black market begin hit closer to home. In this book is a wonderful story of the war, the tension and the worry it created. Even without anyone serving, the family is still worried about bombs, neighbors and friends. It was a very real feeling that Hughes created. I liked the book and thought that she did a good job of portraying the fear and tension that people on the homefront had to endure. While the war goes on, the characters live with the changes and grow as would real people. It is a good book to learn about the homefront in England in World War II.

Hughes imparts a lot of information about the lives of young adolescents growing up in the Liverpool area durin the Blitz of 1941. Unfortunately, her writing style is forced and readers will see how much she's teaching rather than getting caught up in the stories. I'm sorry, because I have loved her picture books for decades now!

This will appear on my blog, httpp://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com on 11/13/17.

Joan is a young teen living in Liverpool, England in 1941. The Germans seem to bomb sections of the city every night, and the other privations of war time are part of every day life. Joan's father, a wireless operator on an oil tanker, was killed when Joan was very young, but the family has gone on without him. Older sister Audrey is dating Dai, a young man in the service, brother Brian is helpful but somewhat annoying, and younger sister Judy needs a lot of care. Joan's mother is dating an "oily" soldier who is in charge of providing food for the local soldiers. Joan goes on lots of adventures with her friend Doreen, whose father is fairly well-to-do and well connected. When a Polish refugee, Ania, joins Joan's school, some of the other students are not particularly kind. When a mysterious man who has been hanging around Joan's neighborhood identifies himself, Joan's family gets pulled into some intrigue involving him, and there is also some black marketeering being run by some surprising individuals.
Strengths: Ms. Hughes was born in 1927, so she is able to include many details of this time period that people who had not lived through it would never know. Audrey attempting to use gravy brown for leg makeup was a detail that blew me away! While I am not a huge fan of "home front" stories, there is a 7th grade unit on historical fiction from 1940-1980, and this will be perfect for that. Also, Liverpool is one of my favorite cities (and somewhere I don't get lost easily), and I've been enjoying some of the BBC period dramas such as Home Fires and My Mother and Other Strangers, so I will definitely be recommending this.
Weaknesses: A bit light on plot, but the details of daily life more than make up for it.
What I really think: Hero on a Bicycle does very well in my library, so I'm glad to purchase this one. I will also be looking into Ms. Hughes' work-- she seems much more well known in the UK.