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elmur_04's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
theseerbetweenus's review against another edition
3.0
[mandatory reading]
Is it bad that I ship Jim and Hans
Is it bad that I ship Jim and Hans
hannahjoy91's review against another edition
4.0
Really nice small book!
Michael Foreman's illustration's are so beautiful and paired with Michael Morpurgo's beautiful short story make a beautiful little read.
A man finds a letter in an old roll top desk he bought. Even thought he knows he shouldn't he reads it and is able to deliver it.
On Christmas Eve this letter finally gets read by whom it was written to.
Michael Foreman's illustration's are so beautiful and paired with Michael Morpurgo's beautiful short story make a beautiful little read.
A man finds a letter in an old roll top desk he bought. Even thought he knows he shouldn't he reads it and is able to deliver it.
On Christmas Eve this letter finally gets read by whom it was written to.
backonthealex's review
4.0
Accompanied by Michael Foreman’s beautiful, touching illustrations, in this short story turned picture book, the past and present meet in the form of a letter. It begins in the present day with a purchase of a much desired roll-top desk in need of restoring due to fire damage. The unnamed narrator decides to begin work on it on Christmas Eve to escape overly excited relatives for a while. Pulling out the drawers, he discovers a letter written on December 26, 1914 and addressed to Mrs. Jim Macpherson. In the letter, a soldier describes how British and German soldiers came together on that frosty Christmas morning, sharing food and drink from each other’s Christmas packages, and playing a game of football. For Captain Jim Macpherson, the day was spent getting to know Hans Wolf from Dusseldorf, who spoke perfect English and whose favorite book was Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd. At the end of the day, the two parted friends. On Christmas day, our narrator decides to visit the address on the letter, an old house that had had a fire. A neighbor tells him the woman, Mrs. Macpherson, now about 101 years old, had survived and was in a nursing home, where the narrator next goes. Yes, he finds her, she recognizes the letter, but the ending though sad, it so poignant. But, you can read it for yourself. The story was published in the Guardian in 2003 and you can find it here: The Best Christmas Present in the World
ellalouise99's review
5.0
A lovely story about a boy who finds a letter that was written by a soldier during Christmas of 1914 when fighting in the war. The boy reads the letter and then returns it to the lady it was written for in a care home. The solider explains in his letter how they played football on Christmas day and how none of the soldiers there wanted to be fighting. The book shows how hope and friendship are stronger than any war. A great book to accompany a topic on WW2.
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