Book excerpt: The Second World War from a Scottish point of view—stories about men and women, allies and enemies to captivate and intrigue young readers. Acclaimed children’s author Allan Burnett turns his attention to the Second World War in a book of explosively exciting and emotionally charged tales of bravery and adventure. Featuring the true exploits of soldiers, spies, pilots, sailors and many others, these stories, all based on interviews with these heroes themselves or their descendants, offer a unique, personal insight into the Second World War that no conventional history book can ever hope to match. “With accounts of life on a variety of fronts this is a valuable introduction to life during the Second World War for younger readers . . . In a slim volume he manages to pack a lot in, allowing the reader a taste of a wide range of views and experiences, and never succumbing to a simplistic goodies versus baddies take on things . . . the heart of the stories themselves is surely universal, reminding us that war is a multi-faceted business affecting different people in all sorts of different ways.” —Daily Record