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Edward Bloor

London Calling Hardcover – September 26, 2006

by Edward Bloor (Author)

42 ratings

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Martin Conway comes from a family filled with heroes and disgraces. His grandfather was a statesman who worked at the US Embassy in London during WWII. His father is an alcoholic who left his family. His sister is an overachieving Ivy League graduate. And Martin? Martin is stuck in between--floundering.

But during the summer after 7th grade, Martin meets a boy who will change his life forever. Jimmy Harker appears one night with a deceptively simple question: Will you help?

Where did this boy come from, with his strange accent and urgent request? Is he a dream? It's the most vivid dream Martin's ever had. And he meets Jimmy again and again--but how can his dreams be set in London during the Blitz? How can he see his own grandather, standing outside the Embassy? How can he wake up with a head full of people and facts and events that he certainly didn't know when he went to sleep--but which turn out to be verifiably real?

The people and the scenes Martin witnesses have a profound effect on him. They become almost more real to him than his waking companions. And he begins to believe that maybe he can help Jimmy. Or maybe that he must help Jimmy, precisely because all logic and reason argue against it.

This is a truly remarkable and deeply affecting novel about fathers and sons, heroes and scapegoats. About finding a way to live with faith and honor and integrity. And about having an answer to the question: What did you do to help?

Reading age

10 years and up
Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Grade level

5 - 9
Lexile measure

640L
Dimensions

5.94 x 1.04 x 8.56 inches
Publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date

September 26, 2006
ISBN-10

0375836357
ISBN-13

978-0375836350
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–Using the literary technique of magical realism, Bloor brings readers a serious tale of justice and redemption, of fathers and sons, of the privileged and the common. John Martin Conway feels out of place at his exclusive prep school, where he is constantly reminded that he is a scholarship kid. After a confrontation with Hank Lowery, the great-grandson of the schools founder, he requests to work at home on an independent study project. The World War II-era radio that his grandmother left him brings him into contact with Jimmy, a boy who lived during the war and who needs his help. He takes Martin back to the time of the London Blitz. In his own time, he focuses his research on the things Jimmy shows him and the people he encounters. Along the way he uncovers some new information about his grandfathers and General Hank Lowerys dealings during the war and discovers how he can help put Jimmys soul to rest. He also comes to terms with his alcoholic father and with his own depression. Readers will identify with the modern elements of the story and be drawn into the tension of the historical events. Evocative descriptions and elegant phrasings make the writing most enjoyable, and because the author uses a first-person voice, the story seems very personal, and readers will feel Martins turmoil and angst. Bloors fans and those who like a little light fantasy with their history will find something intriguing here.–Cheri Dobbs, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. When an old radio transports Martin back in time to London during the Blitz, the seventh-grader makes startling discoveries that fuel twin quests: one to expose the unflattering truth behind two World War II heroes casting long shadows in his life, and the other to answer a young Londoner's eerie pleas for help. Every bit as provocative and open-ended as Bloor's Crusader (1999), this genre-defying novel incorporates mysticism steeped in Martin's Catholic faith and a present-day trip to London that connects two troubled father-son relationships across the decades. Bloor demands much of his readers, especially concerning the diplomatic issues leading to U.S. involvement in World War II, and many will have questions about where the facts end and invention begins. Ambitious yet unwieldy, this may work best as a fictional supplement in history classrooms, where it will open discussions of both the slippery qualities of historical truth ("Who decides what the real history of a time is?") and the nature of genuine heroism. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Bloor continues to demonstrate his range, this time mixing historical fiction with time travel in a poignant adventure story about fathers and sons. . . . Have tissues on hand for the final pages.”–Publishers Weekly

“Martin’s determination and the vivid scenes of London during the Blitz are sure to appeal.”–Kliatt

From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Edward Bloor is the author of the celebrated novel Tangerine which was an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, a Horn Book Fanfare Selection, and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book. The author lives in Winter Garden, FL.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Heroes’ Walk

Looking back now, I can see that I spent my seventh-grade year in a state of depression, imprisoned behind the red-brick, black-iron walls of All Souls Preparatory. All Souls is a private, mostly Catholic school in Bethel, New Jersey, about twenty miles east of Princeton.

Back when I was a student, All Souls had two prominent statues on the campus. Franklin D. Roosevelt stood outside the Student Center, which was a little strange since the real President Roosevelt couldn’t stand. Yet there he was, with one hand on a cane and the other hand raised in a friendly wave. John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, stood outside Kennedy Hall. He was pointing energetically into the air, as if he were speaking.

On the last day of school that year, I was sitting in class in Kennedy Hall and looking through the window at FDR. Across the road, the Lowery Library was nearing the end of a major renovation. As part of this, Father Thomas, the headmaster of the school, had decreed that the statues of Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy were to be moved to join a new statue of General Henry M. “Hollerin’ Hank” Lowery in an impressive new entranceway to the library. The entrance would consist of the three statues, a brass informational plaque about each one, and a slab with the words the heroes’ walk carved into it.

That was why Father Leonard, my history teacher, was spending one last class period droning on about World War II and the heroic efforts of General Henry M. Lowery to alert America to the dangers of Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Father Leonard was the twin brother of the headmaster, Father Thomas. They had both attended All Souls Preparatory some thirty years before; now the paths of their lives had circled around and brought them both back to their beloved alma mater.

I hated All Souls Preparatory.

I hated the uniforms; I hated the snobbery; I hated the tradition. I was an outcast there, and I associated only with other outcasts. One of them, sitting immediately to my left, had just raised his hand.

Father Leonard pointed to him warily and said, “Mr. Chander, I trust this comment is pertinent.”

“Oh yes, Father. It is most pertinent.”

“Fine. Then you may proceed.”

“I read that General Lowery was not really opposed to the Nazis. In fact, he thought the Nazis would win the war easily, and he advised President Roosevelt to make a deal with Hitler as soon as he could.”

Father Leonard looked pained. “I don’t think those are facts, Pinak. But if you would care to do some independent study in that area, I will give you extra credit for your research.”

“I don’t need any more credit, Father. I already have an average far above one hundred. I just wanted to perhaps start a discussion.”

“No. We need not discuss rumors and half-truths and falsehoods. The historical record is perfectly clear about what the General wrote and said at the time.”

Pinak gave up. “Yes, Father.”

Father Leonard always looked uncomfortable when talking about the late General Lowery. Fathers Leonard and Thomas both believed, faithfully, in the legend of Lowery as a fierce Hitler-hater and Nazi-fighter. In return for that faith, the Lowery family had established a million-dollar trust fund for All Souls Preparatory. All Souls had been General Lowery’s prep school, back when it was all boys and they all lived there. Then it was his son’s and his grandson’s prep school, and now it was his great-grandson’s prep school. That great-grandson, Henry M. Lowery IV, was seated in front of me and to the left. Hank Lowery was what is known there as a “legacy.”

I, on the other hand, was what is known there as a “scholarship.” Worse than that, I was an “employee scholarship.” My mother worked as Father Thomas’s secretary, and, thanks to that, I was allowed to attend the school tuition-free. My mother had worked the same deal for my sister Margaret, who had excelled at All Souls and then gone on to Princeton, where she earned a degree in history. My future prospects, however, were not so bright. Unlike Pinak, who was an academic star, I barely scraped by with C’s.

The only other kid I really associated with was Manetti. I knew him from sixth grade back at Garden State Middle School. He was an employee scholarship, too. His father was in charge of buildings and construction at All Souls, which meant that Manetti actually had it worse than me. At least my parent was hidden away in an office. His was very visible—always walking around on campus in an orange hard hat, or driving around noisily in one of his company trucks. I was watching one of those Manetti Construction trucks unload equipment when the girl in front of me turned and handed me a note.

There was no name on the note, so I set it on the corner of my desk, temporarily ignoring it until I heard a sharp, throat-clearing noise. I glanced up and saw the red, erupted face of Hank Lowery IV. He pointed a stubby finger at the note. I obediently picked it up, opened it, and read this printed message:

You’re dead.

I looked back at Lowery, puzzled. He clenched his jaw and then shook his large head from left to right. He pointed first to the note and then to Pinak. When I finally understood his message, I passed the note over. As Pinak opened the note and read those two words, his dark Indian complexion turned pale with fear.

Shortly after that exchange, Father Leonard’s lifeless lecture, and the school day, and the school year, all came to an end with the ringing of the bell.

As we did every day, Pinak, Manetti, and I walked together to the Administration Building. Manetti and I had to wait for our employee parents to finish work; Pinak simply had nothing better to do. He asked his mother to pick him up later so that he could hang out with us. On that day, he probably regretted that arrangement.

Even before we got out of the classroom, some kid muttered to Pinak, “Lowery’s gonna kick your ass outside.”

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (September 26, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375836357
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375836350
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 640L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.94 x 1.04 x 8.56 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,377,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,121 in Teen & Young Adult Time Travel Fiction
- #2,303 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Boys' & Men's Issues (Books)
- #3,808 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Death & Dying

Customer Reviews:
42 ratings

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Edward Bloor

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I have always been a writer, for as far back as I can remember. In the mid-1990s, I sold a novel that was marketed in the young adult genre. Since then, things have gone very, very well. I am married to a beautiful teacher named Pam. We have two children--Amanda and Spencer.

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Hope Brockway

An Interesting Novel

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

Um, so this book is just a jumble.

I thought this book was about time travel and Big Band music and the Blitz, but it turned out to be a father/son relationship story with some time travel thrown in. And this story of this depressed 7-20 year old (I literally could not tell how old this child was) who lived in the basement and became fascinated with old radios. And the story of how sometimes the heroes we look up to turn out to be really messed up people. *shrugs* So a LOT more than I thought it would be.

But let's bring up Martin's age cause I was conFUSED the ENTIRE time. Sometimes he acted like a 20 year old which I guess makes sense cause this book was written sort of like a memoir. But sometimes he talked like a 7 year old. Especially when he was in London.

Jimmy: Oi, govnah, don't you know them Germans are bombin' us?? (I swear this child had a Cockney accent.)
Martin (aka Johnny): Germans?? Who are they?? World War II?? What's that?

Okay, maybe I'm laying it on a little thick, but really. Have you not seen The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?? I mean, I guess not everyone is this huge history geek who knows all these random facts about the Blitz cause she was obsessed with WWII Britain in 10th grade but still. This child's school talks about WWII literally all the time. Why doesn't he know more about it???

Anyway, maybe I'm being too harsh.

This book was really a heartfelt father/son story with some dope time travel thrown in. It was really sweet.

Also, I really liked how this book showed the grittier side of WWII that we don't get in a lot of fiction. Like I felt that I was really there, walking the streets of London. The descriptions of bombed out London, with the balloons and miserable looking people with only a glimmer of hope, kinda broke my heart. And this book showed the grief and hardships of the time. Like how they had to do it all ALONE cause Europe had pretty much been taken over by the Nazis and the US was nowhere in sight. It made me mad how we joined two years later and were like "We're here! The party don't start till we walk in!" But anyway *shrugs*

All in all, this book did have a few sexual references, cuss words, and violence (mainly wreckage of London descriptions), but it was pretty good. There were a few weird rabbit holes but they tied up nicely in the end (kinda). Totes recommend if you want a father/son story with some time travel.

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

London Calling is part historical fiction and part realistic fiction. I think it would have been a much stronger book if Edward Bloor had focused more on the historical fiction story. Martin is a sullen, withdrawn young teen trying to survive being bullied at his elite prep school and recover from the loss of his much loved grandmother. When Martin starts listening to the 1930's radio left to him by his grandmother, he travels back to WWII Blitzkrieg era London. Every time he travels back in time, a young boy named Jimmy appears and pleads with Martin to help save his Dad. Way too many pages are wasted with Martin saying "What do you want me to do?" and Jimmy saying, "I don't know." When not in London, Martin is dealing with being kicked out of school, trying to convince his family he is not depressed, and being embarrassed by his alcoholic father. The WWII story is much more interesting than the family drama.

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2016

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Our grandson loved this book and it made a long driving tripl much more pleasant.

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2015

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Wonderful story!! I was really entertained and couldn't be torn away from it for several days! I really like the Christian element to it, and would recommend it to anyone.

One person found this helpful

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Rawley Shelton

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2015

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Good book for teenagers

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2014

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My son likes this.

One person found this helpful

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Brittney

Sensational

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2014

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It has an interest level of 6-8graders and the grade equivalent of 8.2 This book is a sensational page-turner. I an eighth grader would recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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Aidan M.

Made me cry

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2015

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Such a great book. The ending made me cry. This was a book for my language arts teachers book club.

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Top reviews from other countries

somersetroadQ

An easy read time travel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

A book for teenagers really but I love time travel(as long as it isn't set in outer space). It's the story of an American lad transported back to England during WW2. I learned a couple of facts about the war that I wasn't aware of. Very enjoyable. A very well chosen front cover too.

Reader

Little book on a journey in mental health

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great little book describing a journey with mental health through North Belfast and beyond. Really enjoyed it.

orla tierney

Anyone who’s interested in recovery from Mental I’ll health

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Just finished this little gem of a book. Wonderfully poignant and witty . Highly recommend

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