Have a question about the history behind the adventure of Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When or A Different Day, A Different Destiny? 
Check out the questions below. If your question isn’t listed, send Dr. Harrower a message at KDGHarrower@ConfusionPress.com

If she chooses to answer your question on this page, you will win your choice of a copy of the book signed by the author, and a small souvenir of World War II England, collected by Dr. Harrower herself!

Are Snipesville and Balesworth real places? Are Alex, Brandon, and Hannah real kids? 
Logan, age 12.
To protect the identities of certain towns and the people living in them, names have been changed, characters have been disguised, and other liberties have been taken. Beyond that, I can say no more.

Well, I suppose there is always more I can say. Even though the author has recorded events in consultation with me, she has made errors. Feel free to point out any mistakes you find to her. What I can say, is that she has done her best, such as it is, to represent faithfully the spirit of the people and times of which she writes.

Was Mrs. D. a real person? 
Ashley, age 13.
What do you think? I’m an historian. It is not my job to make things up. The author, however, is another story, even though she claims to be an historian too.

I want to try sausage rolls and sweet tea. Do you have recipes?
Sierra, age 11.
Yes. Do you?
Oh, alright, here you go. Click on these links:
• Brandon’s Sweet Tea
• Mrs. Devenish’s Sausage Rolls
 Note that the recipes for sausage rolls and seed cake require you have a weighing scale in your kitchen, because the British don’t use cup measures.

What’s the cat’s pee smell on the country lane?
Cole, age 9.
Probably elderflowers, which make a delicious syrup you can add to seltzer water and create a soda. It also smells like cat’s pee, and even tastes like it. But it is good. Really.

Please explain British money to me. 
David, age 10
In 1940, there were twelve pence to the shilling, and twenty shillings to the pound. Where do you think J.K. Rowling got the idea for galleons, sickles, and knuts?  Since 1971, the British have used a decimal system, with 100 pence to the pound (no shillings.) The coins are much more lightweight than they used to be, too, more like American money.

Did English people really use non-absorbing toilet paper?
Rachel, age 14.
Yes, they did. It was just as described in the book.  Even more commonly, they used sheets of newspaper. One typical kids’ job was to tear up old newspapers into smaller sheets, and string them together.  The non-absorbing toilet paper was used in homes and schools until the 1980s, and somebody is still buying the stuff, because it’s still for sale. If you want to buy some, and I have no idea why you would, look for the Izal brand on the web. It costs around 90 pence (under two dollars) a roll, plus the price of shipping from England (that’s the expensive part.)

What did the chestnut guy mean when he told Brandon that he “took a Blighty?” Travis, age 11.

During World War I, a “Blighty” was an injury severe enough that a soldier who suffered it would be sent home, or “back to Blighty,” which is an old nickname for England. As the war became more and more dreadful, many soldiers wistfully hoped for a Blighty, so long as it wasn’t too serious, so they could leave the battlefield.

Is the WVS still around?
Hannah, age 10
Yes, although its name was changed in the 1960s, when Her Majesty the Queen graciously granted the organization the right to include the word “royal” in its name. It thus became the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service. Today, it is known by its initials, WRVS.
A great deal has changed. Today, much WRVS work targets elderly people: Among WRVS’s most important work, they provide meal delivery (and company) to housebound seniors. WRVS volunteers also run snack bars in many British hospitals. But the WRVS is still on call for emergencies, such as floods and fires, to assist evacuees (adults and children) and rescue workers. After all, they have nearly 70 years of experience!
The volunteers no longer wear uniforms, which I think is a great pity. Mrs. D. looked very important in her WVS outfit, and it certainly helped her to steamroller difficult people. Not, of course, that she needed much help…
If you would like to know more about the past and present work of the WRVS, visit their website.

Why did Mrs. D. support Britain’s war effort in 1940, but not in 1915?
Brandy, age 27
Not all wars are the same. Remember the Foreword that I wrote in Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When? Oh, you skipped over it? Well, go and read it now. And you’re an adult, aren’t you? Good grief.