An author has released a new children's book connecting the Lake District to World War Two.

Tom Palmer has penned 'Angel of Grasmere', which hit the shelves on Thursday, May 9 after being published by Barrington Stoke.

The story starts in June 1940 and follows Tarn, who struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk.

Tom said: "While I was researching my other books set in the English Lake District – Armistice Runner and After the War – I unearthed so many interesting stories about what we now call Cumbria during both world wars that I felt compelled to write about them too.

"The men who hid in the mountains for years to avoid being enlisted, the fear of and preparation for a Nazi invasion among the fells and lakes.

"Angel of Grasmere is the product of those stories and also of my ongoing relationship with Grasmere School, who have helped me with all three books."

The Mail:

The book will see Tarn and her friends scour the hills around their Lake District home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion.

But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness, such as saving a flock of sheep from a snowdrift and helping an injured farmer who might otherwise have died.

With no-one claiming credit, they come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but it will be up to Tarn to discover the truth herself.

Tom won the Young Quills Award for 'After the War' and 'Resist', as well as the FCBG Children’s Book Award for 'Armistice Runner' and 'D-Day Dog'.

In 2019, Tom was awarded the National Literacy Trust’s Ruth Rendell Award in recognition of his contribution to literacy work in the UK.

Find out how to get your copy of Angel of Grasmere here.