A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

Set in 1936 and written in the style of a journal, it was immediately obvious why this book has drawn comparisons to Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle: the voice of the 16-year-old narrator, Sophie. She lives in a castle - a fortified house, excuse me - on a small island in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France. Montmaray is an island nation with only a handful of people left on it besides Sophie and her uncle, the mad King John of Montmaray. They have fallen on financial hard times and things are about to get even more difficult with the arrival of some Nazi Germans. Highly recommended for Grade 7 through to adult.