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A review by katykelly
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
4.0
4.5 stars
Jacqueline Wilson took on the task of updating the original to make Four Children and It recently, and did it well. Kate Saunders takes it back to its period and keeps the tone authentically Edwardian and the plot fairly close to a Nesbit story. It helps to have read at least the first of the Psammead books, but not necessary, as Saunders does often refer to the plot of that story in her own.
In a twist (that I didn't really like, but accepted for the book to work), the Psammead returns to the Pemberton children several years after last seeing them, foreseeing future miseries, as oldest son Cyril is about to leave for the War. With the four eldest now all (or almost) grown up, the Lamb and Edie, a new sibling, are his new protectors and friends. But Psammead has no control over his magic now, he cannot grant wishes as he used to (a little disappointing - my favourite parts of the original of course were the wishes!) but magic seems to choose when wishes are granted, always relevant to the Psammead's own mysterious past. The Psammead it seems, has a past he needs to repent of, and each time a wish is granted, the Pemberton's wishes give them a vision of the world at War, and Sammy (as they refer to him in public) insight into his own past misdeeds.
I did feel giving the Psammead a rather cruel history made me see him in a different light to Nesbit's books, when he was simply a crotchety old sand fairy. Now he's a former slave-owner and god with power over life and death.
We still see Anthea, Jane and Robert, as well as Cyril on the Front when the children are magicked there. They all contribute to our picture of 1914 life, one an art student, one trying to become a female doctor, one deciding if he should enlist. The War scenes are short and moving, though Cyril and Robert do put an incredibly brave face on their trials of various sorts.
It's a good addition to the shelves of WWI fiction for children, we do learn a lot about what life was life, including food shortages at home (the wealthy Pembertons turn their tennis court into a potato field). It is nice to see the Psammead again, even if the backstory is a little complicated and dark.
And I did cry. A very moving ending, one that is foreshadowed earlier in the book, and nicely done. The new child, Edie, worked, the changes to the older children felt right, and it did feel as though it could have been written by Nesbit.
One for ages 9 and above.
Jacqueline Wilson took on the task of updating the original to make Four Children and It recently, and did it well. Kate Saunders takes it back to its period and keeps the tone authentically Edwardian and the plot fairly close to a Nesbit story. It helps to have read at least the first of the Psammead books, but not necessary, as Saunders does often refer to the plot of that story in her own.
In a twist (that I didn't really like, but accepted for the book to work), the Psammead returns to the Pemberton children several years after last seeing them, foreseeing future miseries, as oldest son Cyril is about to leave for the War. With the four eldest now all (or almost) grown up, the Lamb and Edie, a new sibling, are his new protectors and friends. But Psammead has no control over his magic now, he cannot grant wishes as he used to (a little disappointing - my favourite parts of the original of course were the wishes!) but magic seems to choose when wishes are granted, always relevant to the Psammead's own mysterious past. The Psammead it seems, has a past he needs to repent of, and each time a wish is granted, the Pemberton's wishes give them a vision of the world at War, and Sammy (as they refer to him in public) insight into his own past misdeeds.
I did feel giving the Psammead a rather cruel history made me see him in a different light to Nesbit's books, when he was simply a crotchety old sand fairy. Now he's a former slave-owner and god with power over life and death.
We still see Anthea, Jane and Robert, as well as Cyril on the Front when the children are magicked there. They all contribute to our picture of 1914 life, one an art student, one trying to become a female doctor, one deciding if he should enlist. The War scenes are short and moving, though Cyril and Robert do put an incredibly brave face on their trials of various sorts.
It's a good addition to the shelves of WWI fiction for children, we do learn a lot about what life was life, including food shortages at home (the wealthy Pembertons turn their tennis court into a potato field). It is nice to see the Psammead again, even if the backstory is a little complicated and dark.
And I did cry. A very moving ending, one that is foreshadowed earlier in the book, and nicely done. The new child, Edie, worked, the changes to the older children felt right, and it did feel as though it could have been written by Nesbit.
One for ages 9 and above.