What to Learn From Strangers in Time book of Mr. Baldacci

At fourteen, Charlie Matters survives by his wits and a quick hand, stealing only what he needs to get by. With no parents, no status, and no prospects, he drifts through the war-torn streets of London, counting the days until he is old enough to enlist and fight the Germans himself. Having barely escaped the Blitz, Charlie understands one brutal truth: death can come at any moment, and there's no use pretending otherwise.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a London she hardly recognizes. Sent away to the countryside for nearly five years as part of the evacuation effort, she dreamed of the day she could come home. But her long-awaited return is met with devastation-her parents are gone, and the home she yearned for no longer exists.

Alone in a city ravaged by war, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected refuge in Ignatius Oliver and his beloved bookshop, The Book Keep. A grieving widower, Ignatius sees in them the echoes of his own loss, and together they begin to rebuild the fragile bonds of family.

But London is not a city that forgets. Charlie's exploits have drawn dangerous attention, and Molly soon realizes that someone has been watching her since the day she arrived. And Ignatius-gentle, steady, and kind-is carrying secrets of his own, secrets that could destroy the fragile sanctuary they have built. As their pasts close in around them, the three must decide just how far they are willing to go to protect the only family they have left.