The Dragonfly Pool, by Eva Ibbotson

When you think of an English boarding school, you think of a place where teachers are often so strict they make children cry. But when eleven year old Tally gets a scholarship to Delderton,she finds it is not like a normal boarding school. Delderton is a simply lovely place in the English countryside where creativity is encouraged. It is 1939 and The Second World War is revving up its engine. Tally sees a film about the small European country of Bergania which stands up to Hitler, and she deeply longs to visit.

Coincidentally, the annual International Folk Dance Festival is being held in Bergania and Delderton is invited to go and perform a folk dance to represent England. Tally sets her heart on going.

This book is very exciting. I got completely absorbed in the plot. Eva Ibbotson has also written many other wonderful books including The Star of Kazan, Which Witch?, and Journey to the River Sea.

Find the The Dragonfly Pool in your local library