“Lizzie and the Lost Baby,” the new book by Cheryl Blackford, takes a good look at the old adage, “Honesty is the best policy.”
With the threat of German bombs looming across England, the children in Hull were sent to the countryside to live with strangers, whether they wanted it or not. And Lizzie didn’t want it.
And so it was that 10-year-old Lizzie and 7-year-old Peter were sent to Swaindale to live with a policeman named Fred Arbuthnot; his wife, Madge; and Madge’s dotty sister, Elsie.
The English countryside was nice. Peter found someone to play with nearby, and the scenery was lovely. There were cows and sheep, green grass, and things to do. Madge only asked that the children be prompt for lunchtime and not upset Elsie — both of which were very easy to do, until Lizzie found the baby.
She was laying on a dirty quilt on the grass, a little cherub with black curly hair, crying and all alone. Lizzie couldn’t imagine why anybody would abandon a baby like that — especially one as beautiful as the one she found. She hoped Madge would help her find the baby’s mother but, instead, Elsie took the baby as her own!
Lizzie knew something wasn’t right, especially when she heard that a nearby Gypsy camp was looking for a missing baby. The baby’s brother, Elijah, thought Lizzie might know something, but the adults in Swaindale told her to keep quiet.
The local magistrate said Elsie could keep the baby. Mummy said the truth was always best. What was Lizzie to do?
Set during World War II, at a time when drastic measures were taken as needed, this story starts out with something to capture a kids’ imagination: Lizzie and her brother are sent far away from home. Although they’re safe in a lovely, bucolic place, it’s scary nonetheless, but author Blackford doesn’t let her characters linger on it; Lizzie is brave, wise, and responsible from the story’s beginning. Because he is a catalyst for Lizzie’s character, Blackford also gives Elijah a great storyline, too, which is likewise a fine lesson on tolerance for cultures that aren’t familiar to young readers.
Put them together and you’ve got a well-done, delightfully story that can be read independently or aloud. “Lizzie and the Lost Baby” is a book your your tween will honestly enjoy.
“Lizzie and the Lost Baby,” by Cheryl Blackford [181 pages, 2016, $16.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
