EBOOK
Operation Doodlebug
a wartime story of friendship, courage and one boy's heart-wrenching quest for truth
Tia Fisher(0)
About
From award-winning author Tia Fisher comes an unforgettable wartime story of friendship, courage, and one boy's heart-wrenching quest for the truth. Perfect for fans of Phil Earle and Michael Morpurgo.
It's 1944 and Stan's hopes of keeping his family together until the war is over are shattered when his father signs up to fight. Left with his mother in Croydon as Hitler sends over waves of V1 rockets, Stan suffers endless air-raid sirens and long nights in the cramped Anderson shelter they share with their neighbours.
Then comes the news they were dreading: his father is missing, presumed killed. But Stan refuses to give up hope, and when a mysterious piece of doodlebug shrapnel holds crucial information from a prisoner of war, he and his friends run away to track down the truth.
A gripping World War Two adventure based on true events in the Doodlebug Summer of 1944, from Carnegie Shadower's Choice winner Tia Fisher. Illustrated with impactful black-and-white art by Manuel Šumberac. Tia Fisher (Author)
Tia Fisher writes books for the rebel inside her. She spent her youth desperate to escape the boredom of a tiny village in Norfolk, writing poems of love and rebellion and reading indiscriminately through the shelves of the local library.
After being expelled from boarding school and dropping out of university, Tia had a bewildering variety of jobs - from TV presenter to ESOL teacher to artists' model - before finding her happy place working in libraries and writing stories. In her fifties she went back to university, and is now the proud owner of a master's degree in writing for young people. She recently moved back to Norwich and now she loves it.
Tia's debut teen verse novel, Crossing the Line, was the winner of the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Medal and the UKLA 11-14+ prize, and is in the 2024 Reading for Empathy collection. In 2026 Piccadilly Press will publish Tia's debut middle-grade story, Operation Doodlebug, which is set in World War Two.
Tia's website is at tiafisher.com. Tia's socials can be found at linktr.ee/tiafisherwrites.
A gripping World War Two adventure based on true events in the summer of 1944, from award-winning author Tia Fisher. A debut Middle Grade prose novel from YOTO Carnegie Shadower's Choice winner Tia Fisher, author of Crossing the Line and Not Going to Plan. Including dramatic black-and-white interior art and impactful page design to complement the story, from talented illustrator Manuel Šumberac. Featuring authentic and carefully researched disability representation and working-class characters, the novel's depiction of the character Billy, who has dwarfism (achondroplasia), has been reviewed by an expert. The novel's use of working class dialect has also been checked by an expert reader. An insightful addition to core WWII fiction texts, bringing history to life for upper Middle Grade readers with short chapters and an accessible approach, balanced with complex themes. The book explores the impact of the later years of the war on lesser explored regions, including Croydon, and shining a light on the effects of the doodlebug V1 bomb attacks on Britain and the little-explored P.O.W. post. A moving and emotional story of friendship and adventure during wartime, balancing the tragedy of loss and family separation against moments of hope, as Stan searches for the truth behind the letter he uncovers at a doodlebug bomb site. Tia tackles loss honestly, and balances it with humour and warmth.
It's 1944 and Stan's hopes of keeping his family together until the war is over are shattered when his father signs up to fight. Left with his mother in Croydon as Hitler sends over waves of V1 rockets, Stan suffers endless air-raid sirens and long nights in the cramped Anderson shelter they share with their neighbours.
Then comes the news they were dreading: his father is missing, presumed killed. But Stan refuses to give up hope, and when a mysterious piece of doodlebug shrapnel holds crucial information from a prisoner of war, he and his friends run away to track down the truth.
A gripping World War Two adventure based on true events in the Doodlebug Summer of 1944, from Carnegie Shadower's Choice winner Tia Fisher. Illustrated with impactful black-and-white art by Manuel Šumberac. Tia Fisher (Author)
Tia Fisher writes books for the rebel inside her. She spent her youth desperate to escape the boredom of a tiny village in Norfolk, writing poems of love and rebellion and reading indiscriminately through the shelves of the local library.
After being expelled from boarding school and dropping out of university, Tia had a bewildering variety of jobs - from TV presenter to ESOL teacher to artists' model - before finding her happy place working in libraries and writing stories. In her fifties she went back to university, and is now the proud owner of a master's degree in writing for young people. She recently moved back to Norwich and now she loves it.
Tia's debut teen verse novel, Crossing the Line, was the winner of the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Medal and the UKLA 11-14+ prize, and is in the 2024 Reading for Empathy collection. In 2026 Piccadilly Press will publish Tia's debut middle-grade story, Operation Doodlebug, which is set in World War Two.
Tia's website is at tiafisher.com. Tia's socials can be found at linktr.ee/tiafisherwrites.
A gripping World War Two adventure based on true events in the summer of 1944, from award-winning author Tia Fisher. A debut Middle Grade prose novel from YOTO Carnegie Shadower's Choice winner Tia Fisher, author of Crossing the Line and Not Going to Plan. Including dramatic black-and-white interior art and impactful page design to complement the story, from talented illustrator Manuel Šumberac. Featuring authentic and carefully researched disability representation and working-class characters, the novel's depiction of the character Billy, who has dwarfism (achondroplasia), has been reviewed by an expert. The novel's use of working class dialect has also been checked by an expert reader. An insightful addition to core WWII fiction texts, bringing history to life for upper Middle Grade readers with short chapters and an accessible approach, balanced with complex themes. The book explores the impact of the later years of the war on lesser explored regions, including Croydon, and shining a light on the effects of the doodlebug V1 bomb attacks on Britain and the little-explored P.O.W. post. A moving and emotional story of friendship and adventure during wartime, balancing the tragedy of loss and family separation against moments of hope, as Stan searches for the truth behind the letter he uncovers at a doodlebug bomb site. Tia tackles loss honestly, and balances it with humour and warmth.