This is an incredibly powerful tale of war, friendship and courage. The Great War has begun. An underage boy signs up for the Army to be like the other men fighting for his country, but the reality of war is very different from his dreams of glory. This novel provides a chilling depiction of war and indeed what our fore fathers went through to give us the world and the life we have today.
Alfie signs up for the army aged just 15, carried away by patriotic fervour at the start of the Great War. Alfie is desperate to see some action. But when he volunteers for a raid on the German trenches, against the advice of his comrades, Alfie begins to understand what war means, and to see the value of the lives that are being thrown away on the Western Front every day...
Shocking in its immediacy and painfully raw at time - but never either gratuitous or sentimental - it's a truly powerful piece of narrative Teach Secondary
Excellently written...the book really takes the reader back to those dreadful days Parents in Touch
This is a moving and thought-provoking story, easy to read, yet with considerable emotional depth. Highly recommended for age 9+. -- Ann Turnbull Historical Novel Society
Author
About Tom Bradman, Tony Bradman
Tony Bradman is an award-winning writer for children of all ages whose books have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. You can find more about him on his Author Page.
Tony now writes in partnership with his son Tom Bradman. Their first titles as a father-and-son writing team were the Space School series for A&C Black. Their most recent title was Titanic: Death on the Water.