Keep Smiling Through

The third book in Ellie Dean’s Cliffehaven series is titled “Keep Smiling Through.” The story which takes place in June 1940, centers on Rita Smith a seventeen-year-old. Even though Rita’s father is gone on critical war duties she lost her mother at an early age. She finds comfort in the tight-knit Cliffhaven community. But when Italy supports Germany, her closest neighbors and allies are detained as state enemies.

Rita decides to become a fire warden because she wants to help in the war effort. She is unflinching in the face of the destruction of her own home and yearns for the day she can be with her loved ones again. A touching World War II book that portrays love, community, and resiliency amid trying circumstances.