War Girls is a collection of nine short stories about the lives of girls at the outbreak of the First World War. Written by some of today's best known YA authors, including names like Adele Geras, Anne Fine, Sally Nichols and Theresa Breslin, it tells the unheard story of what happened to those left behind when the men went off to fight.

They are all great stories, gripping and astonishingly well written, covering themes from grief and heartbreak, to love and loss and astonishing bravery. In only 250 pages it really makes us see the First world war in a totally different light, something I think is very important at the centenary of its outbreak. Instead of gruesome stories about trenches, battles and the front line, we learn about the untold, yet equally important, aspect of what life was like for those who couldn't go to fight, and realise that actually these girls were just as, if not even more, brave and important than the soldiers themselves.

Favourites include: Storm in a Teashop by Mary Hooper, about a young waitress called Harriet, who in her job unwittingly acts as a go-between for two German spies posing as lovers; Going Spare by Sally Nichols, about a whole generation of two million 'spare women' left behind when the men left for war; and Sky Dancer, about a young singer named Kate whose extraordinary bravery and grief leads her to the Front Line to entertain the soldiers with her voice, even while shells explode around her.

The only negative point about this book is its length - its not long enough!

All in all a great book, and although not the best war book I've ever read (think Code Name Verity) it's definitely a must-read this summer! Not only for girls either - everyone should give this book a try as you might be surprised!

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