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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I must have read this when I was about ten years old. It's the first, and so far only, book to ever make me genuinely cry. Not just oh no a tear but actually full out cry. It's also stuck with my since then - I'm not twenty and coming on twenty one. It's not the most amazingly written book or whatever but it's genuine and lovely and incredibly real. Big Joe, Tommo, Charlie - I've remembered all of them and they stayed with my and I only read the book once. I encourage everyone to read it - because even though I can't remember every detail after ten odd years, it stayed with me still.
Such a powerful book. Written for a young readership Michael Morpurgo's book nevertheless deals with an adult subject with a deft touch. I found the book very touching. Highly recommended.
Another WWI young adult novel. I think this would really appeal to boys, and I'm guessing 5th or 6th could handle it; definitely 7th. Good historical fiction, taking on issues like patriotism and cowardice.
4.5 stars
"The more we sing the more cheery we become, and that's in spite of all we see - the shell shattered villes we march through, the field hospitals we pass, the empty coffins waiting."
Tommy Peaceful is a young man who has gone off to war with his big brother Charlie and is now trying to survive nights in the trenches by remembering his childhood.
During his childhood, his family always struggled after his father died in a tree cutting accident, that Tommy has always felt guilty for. He tends to follow around his big brother Charlie and Molly who is his best friends, but as time goes on Charlie and Molly start spending more time together and leaving out Tommy in small ways.
Add in a brother who needs help, a rich man who tries to control the whole town, and a mean aunt. The boys are left with only two options, move to a different town, or go to war. Not wanting to make their mother and brother move they join the war.
The war isn't what they expected it to be, and Tommy struggles with it and without Charlies by his side I'm not sure he would have made it.
Overall I did enjoy this story. I don't know much about WWI in general besides the basics. So to learn some of the things that the men had to deal with and how they were treated is just awful. Tommy manages to make it through with letters from home and remembering his childhood. This at first was a little confusing to me, but as it got closer to his present it was easier to understand.
I would highly recommend this book if you're wanting to know a little about WWI.
"The more we sing the more cheery we become, and that's in spite of all we see - the shell shattered villes we march through, the field hospitals we pass, the empty coffins waiting."
Tommy Peaceful is a young man who has gone off to war with his big brother Charlie and is now trying to survive nights in the trenches by remembering his childhood.
During his childhood, his family always struggled after his father died in a tree cutting accident, that Tommy has always felt guilty for. He tends to follow around his big brother Charlie and Molly who is his best friends, but as time goes on Charlie and Molly start spending more time together and leaving out Tommy in small ways.
Add in a brother who needs help, a rich man who tries to control the whole town, and a mean aunt. The boys are left with only two options, move to a different town, or go to war. Not wanting to make their mother and brother move they join the war.
The war isn't what they expected it to be, and Tommy struggles with it and without Charlies by his side I'm not sure he would have made it.
Overall I did enjoy this story. I don't know much about WWI in general besides the basics. So to learn some of the things that the men had to deal with and how they were treated is just awful. Tommy manages to make it through with letters from home and remembering his childhood. This at first was a little confusing to me, but as it got closer to his present it was easier to understand.
I would highly recommend this book if you're wanting to know a little about WWI.
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this was a very emotional read, that I borrowed from the library via the Libby app.
As the above synopsis reads, the story is told by Tommo Peaceful, a young solider on the frontline in Belgium. The chapters are told by the hours counting down from night to dawn when everything will change for Tommo.
I loved reading about Tommo and his family back home in Devon, told through flashbacks. How he remembered his schooldays, and adventures growing up there with his big brother Charlie, also a soldier on the frontline.
When the end came I was really shocked, as the story took a turn I wasn’t expecting!
I really like the way Michael Morpurgo writes and will definitely be reading or listening to more of his books.
Highly recommend this if you enjoy middle grade stories set during World War 1.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
I remember reading this for the first time in primary school when we were learning about WWI and the literature and poetry that came out of that time period, and it’s always been a story that has stuck with me.
Morpurgo has a wonderful way of connecting with children and making the story still easy enough for them to understand but at the same time not shying away from the horrors of WWI and the battles at Ypres and the Somme.
I’ve always admired that about his work and it’s something that sticks out in my memory that there was still a genuine connection to the characters and the story.
Morpurgo has a wonderful way of connecting with children and making the story still easy enough for them to understand but at the same time not shying away from the horrors of WWI and the battles at Ypres and the Somme.
I’ve always admired that about his work and it’s something that sticks out in my memory that there was still a genuine connection to the characters and the story.
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book had some good parts. I thought that the beginning was quite slow then it picked up in the middle. Then the end dragged a bit again.