November in the Village: Short Stories

By Reily Mary Scott

November in the Village are twelve short stories that follow Charles, Elizabeth, and Mary, three British children far from wartime London, as they try to build a new life with family in Duluth, Minnesota, in the tense autumn of 1941. November begins with school hallways, Halloween memories, new friendships, and small mysteries that reveal how hard it can be to belong when home is an ocean away.
Hidden above the household is a magical village filled with living wooden people, old secrets, and watchful guardians. Nicholas, Astrid, and others bring warmth, mischief, and wonder to the children's lives. Yet the magic is not only playful. It reaches across the sea, into war-torn Britain, onto dangerous ships, and into promises that may be impossible to keep.
As the children move through school troubles, sleepovers, football games, Thanksgiving preparations, and mysterious voices in the attic, they uncover stories of courage from both the present and the past. A German-born girl named Elsa longs for acceptance. A frightened boy faces bullies. A Thanksgiving pageant disaster reveals hidden kindness. Even a small wooden jackal prince in the British Museum longs for friendship and a place to belong.
The stories blend childhood adventure with the shadow of World War II. The children laugh, argue, sneak, investigate, and make mistakes, but the war keeps pressing closer. Parents are overseas. Ships are in danger. Radios carry frightening news. When the attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything, Charles, Elizabeth, and Mary must face the truth that the war is no longer only Britain's burden.
Warm, mysterious, and full of heart, November in the Village is a collection of historical fantasy shorts about courage, friendship, family, and finding a home in uncertain times. Through small acts of kindness and brave choices, the children learn that belonging is not always about where they came from. Sometimes it is about who stands beside you when the world changes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H7QD4XTW
• ISBN13: 9798185785478
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"