Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Orphan Sisters | 2019 | Shirley Dickson | Buy |
| 2 | Our Last Goodbye | 2019 | Shirley Dickson | Buy |
| 3 | The Outcast Girls | 2020 | Shirley Dickson | Buy |
| 4 | The Lost Children | 2020 | Shirley Dickson | Buy |
| 5 | The Orphan’s Secret | 2021 | Shirley Dickson | Buy |
Shirley Dickson’s five novels are all set against the backdrop of World War II in northeast England, but each tells a separate story. The books follow different characters through wartime challenges, from children separated from their families to women keeping communities together under bombardment. Dickson published all five between 2019 and 2021, maintaining a consistent focus on the emotional cost of war at the local level.
Readers can pick up any of these novels without having read the others. The Orphan Sisters is a natural starting point as Dickson’s debut, but the themes of family, sacrifice, and survival run through all five books.