2014
This is neither an easy nor comfortable read. It includes twelve short stories about the Great
War. Each one is told from the point of view of a young person. Most of them are to do with combat and many
feature death. A couple of civilian stories are also quite grim. One involves a
bombing, anxious parents and the rescue of a friend and a dog. The other is
about a much-changed young man who at first cannot face going home; he was one
of only seven of the Accrington Pals who survived. He is different now also because
he has been a prisoner of war.
Jim Eldrige writes a few of the stories from a German point of
view. The British and the German experiences
are very similar. He even tackles the conscientious objector – the “conchie”
and invites the young reader not to see this just in black and white.
The stories are in chronological order and there are
sections between them that give historical contexts.
This would be an extremely useful book for teachers or
parents wanting to study the Great War with children.
The child probably needs some adult guidance.
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