Reading became, for many, the supreme relaxation,” wrote George Vale of his wartime patrons. Sound familiar? Any more of these and I'll be on the floor', laughed Alice. 'It's delicious; what's in it, Ruby Red Lips'?

Young librarian and widow Clara Button works in the underground library during WW2. The library is located in the disused tube station in Bethnal Green. It’s an actual godsend in many ways = not only from the bombs but from the daily grind. This is where people can meet and talk as well as there being so many books there! I loved the people who worked there and I felt I really got to know them very well really early on. Clara Button is a young widow and the librarian at a wholly underground library. There is a whole community which has sprung up in a disused underground station - a good place to hide when there are bombs falling up above which are destroying your community and killing your friends and family. Clara's best friend is Ruby, a girl who couldn't be more different from Clara if she tried. Despite their differences in personality, they are very close and it is their friendship which gets them both through. Both young women have been through trauma in their pasts and Ruby is still trying to help her mum deal with her abusive second husband. Words cannot describe how brilliant The Little Wartime Library is. This novel captured my attention and my heart. This means there’s something for everyone in Kate Thompson’s book. There’s romance and peril, bravery and cowardice, personal moments and international events, making the story thrum with vibrancy.From Sunday Times bestselling novelist Kate Thompson, The Little Wartime Library is a captivating work of historical fiction, inspired by one of the greatest resistance stories of WWII. I can’t deny that I’m a huge fan of Kate Thompson’s brilliantly brought-to-life books but I think The Little Wartime Libraryis probably her best yet. Books are for everybody. In a society where women shouldn’t read too much and children are considered just a nuisance, Clara strongly believes not only that everybody should read, but that they should be allowed to read any kind of book they want. Girls shouldn’t be forced to read only books “for girls”. Romance and fiction are as good as non-fiction. The structure of the book alternated between the points of view of Clara and Ruby, two very different women but both with fascinating stories to tell. Both Clara and Ruby gain so much confidence over the course of the book, which is interesting because Ruby was already very unique but her story arc allowed for so much growth. Libraries in converted shops, in village halls, in mobile vans, are common enough. But libraries in Tube shelters are something new under the sun,” Stanley wrote with pride.

Kate Thompson’s exploration of what the ‘little’ person can achieve in the face of adversity is truly inspirational. From a journalist to a ghost-writer, British author Kate Thompson has published a range of books over the last 20 years. In her most recent publication, Thompson has penned a story about strength, resilience, resistance, courage and the power of the written word. Drawn from real life events, The Little Wartime Library is an engrossing title that will rouse all Second World War fiction fans. Because they have their own demons to fight alongside the greater war issues, they inspire the reader to grasp opportunities and take a chance in their own lives. This helps to make The Little Wartime Library a powerful read. When Clara comes across two sisters from Jersey, she is determined to befriend them and help them in any wayshe can. As hard as it is for those from the East end she’s certain that it must be even more terrifying for two young women who aren’t even from London. Not all people want Clara and Ruby’s help though and some are even determined to make their lives as difficult as possible. Everyone around them has difficulties they’re battling to survive and when Clara meets a kind but mysterious Samaritan she has a whole new struggle on her hands. Contrary to popular belief, during the Second World War, not all shelterers slept in an amorphous huddle on a dirty Underground platform. The history of WW2 is full of surprises, mostly tales of unspeakable deprivation, sacrifice and bloodshed, but just occasionally, magic.The Little War Time Library is such a touching and heart-wrenching story based on true events. I think the fact it is based on true events adds even more emotion and real emotion to this book. Finding out about the library was nothing short of magic’ ... Kate Thompson. Photograph: Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives This book also made me cry. From start to finish I was emotionally involved in the lives of Clara, Ruby, and those who through the war found refuge, support and a home in Bethnal Green underground library. This historical fiction set in London’s east end during WW 2 resonates with stories of family, community, friendship, loss, love, grief, the absolute treasures librarians are, and the value of public libraries. These ‘youngsters’ are now in their 90s, and memories of the little library are embedded in their hearts. “It was a sanctuary to me,” Pat, now 92 and living in Berkshire, told me. “By 1943, I was 14 and there had been so much horror: the Blitz, the Tube disaster. You can’t imagine what that library represented to me as a place of safety. It sparked a life-long love of reading.”

Contrary to popular belief, during the Second World War, not all shelterers slept in an amorphous huddle on a dirty Underground platform. The history of World War Two is full of surprises, mostly tales of unspeakable deprivation, sacrifice and bloodshed, but just occasionally, magic.

Bethan Green’s magical library with Kate Thompson

Heartbreakingly, that home was tinged with horror one night in March 1943 when 173 people died in a human crush on theuneven steps down to the shelter. ARP wardens worked alongside housewives and boy scouts to save the injured. Mrs Chumbley wrenched children free from the crush with such force their shoes were left behind. It was three hours before the last casualty was pulled out. Kate Thompson is unafraid to present difficult issues like domestic abuse, loss, guilt and mental health problems. Yet they never make the story maudlin or depressing. My favourite character throughout was Ruby. Bold, brassy and brave she epitomised the bulldog tenacity of the Eastend people. She's certainly someone you would want to have as an ally. She was, almost, like Clara's conscience. Encouraging her and pushing her to do things she might have let go. The friendship between them was special. During WWII, the unfinished Bethnal Green Station not only provided shelter to five thousand people who slept in the bunkers constructed in the tunnels – a safe haven amid the devastation caused by the Blitz but also housed a theatre that hosted opera and ballet, a coffee shop, doctor’s quarters and a wartime nursery and a library. The Little Wartime Library was a haven for people. It did so much more than hand out books. It helped children to learn to read, to come to terms with loss of family to help those living in the underground to bear the long hard years that war brought to their homes and cities.