The Sign of the Red Cross

Rumours of plague disturb a fireside gathering on Old London Bridge, where two prosperous tradesmen take very different views of the danger. Charles Mason trusts that officials can contain the illness, while nurse Dinah Morse warns that frightened households may conceal it. Around them, the Harmer family brings together work, domestic life and concern for neighbours in a city approaching disaster.

Evelyn Everett-Green's historical novel for young readers sets family relationships and courtship against London's plague and the Great Fire of 1666. Its scenes of hardship also make room for practical kindness: Mary Harmer supplies food and clothing to people camping outside the city, and a home shelters children left without support. Christian faith shapes these responses to suffering. Readers interested in historical fiction about ordinary households will find particular attention to the choices people make when protecting themselves competes with helping others.