Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J FICTION GRE | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In a powerful collection, eleven internationally acclaimed writers draw on personal objects to bring the First World War to life for readers young and old.
A toy soldier. A butter dish. A compass. Mundane objects, perhaps, but to the remarkable authors in this collection, artifacts such as these have inspired stories that go to the heart of the human experience of World War I. Each author was invited to choose an object that had a connection to the war--a writing kit for David Almond, a helmet for Michael Morpurgo--and use it as the inspiration for an original short story. What results is an extraordinary collection, illustrated throughout by award-winning Jim Kay and featuring photographs of the objects with accounts of their history and the authors' reasons for selecting them. This unique anthology provides young readers with a personal window into the Great War and the people affected by it, and serves as an invaluable resource for families and teachers alike.
Author Notes
Jim Kay is the illustrator of Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls, for which he won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal, and George McGavin's Bugs . He studied illustration and worked in the archives of the Tate Gallery and the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, two experiences that heavily influence his work. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Eleven authors mark the centenary of WWI with original short stories that are simultaneously poignant, thought-provoking, and relevant. David Almond, Michael Morpurgo, Ursula Dubosarsky, Marcus Sedgwick, and others anchor their fictional narratives around objects specific to that time-the nose of a zeppelin bomb, a wartime butter dish, etc. In A.L. Kennedy's stream-of-consciousness narrative, "Another Kind of Missing," a child relates his visit to his recuperating soldier father; half his face is gone, but "the men and women at the Tin Noses Shop.... will make him a mask.... And no one will be able to tell the difference from how he was." And Tanya Lee Stone's "A Harlem Hellfighter and His Horn," written in verse, follows an aspiring musician who takes up with bandleader James Reese Europe, eventually joining the famed infantry regiment ("There was no question about it for me./ I followed Europe to/ Europe/ without taking a beat"). Kay's haunting b&w illustrations bookend each story, exploding into pointy geometric shapes that recall shrapnel. Explanations of the featured objects conclude this evocative, potent anthology. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Each story here centers on a particular object from the First World War: a commemorative butter dish, a compass, the nose of a zeppelin bomb, among others. Eleven authors, including David Almond and Marcus Sedgwick, contribute stories of various strength and styles, but all succeed in conveying the loss, fear, and impact of war. Illustrations and background information for each object are provided. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Each of the 11 original short stories in this superlative collection about WWI has been inspired by an object evoking the conflict. Thus, the catalyst for contributor Almond is a soldier's writing case; for Timothée de Fombelle, it's a Victoria Cross; for Adèle Geras, a wartime butter dish; for John Boyne, a recruitment poster; and so forth. First published in England, this anthology about a global conflict suitably features an international cast of authors: English, Irish, Australian, French, and American. Together they evoke the specific horrors of the war to end all wars, while also suggesting the futility of every war. Though the stories are uniform in their excellence, a few do stand out: Tanya Lee Stone's rhythmic story in verse about a young musician in a regimental band called The Harlem Hellfighters; Michael Morpugo's, about a family's discovery of its past on the centenary of the Great War; and Marcus Sedgwick's, about an angel, an airship, and a boy who is different. Haunting black-and-white illustrations by Kate Greenaway Medal-winning illustrator Kay reinforce the stories' somber mood and cumulative power. This book is both beautifully designed and beautifully written.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Last year marked the centennial of the start of World War I. This collection of short stories, with chapters by acclaimed British authors, including Printz winners Marcus Sedgwick and David Almond, is a timely choice. Each tale is inspired by actual artifacts from the time (an army helmet, sheet music, a compass) and focus on the British participation in the war. In the exceptional "Another Kind of Missing" by A.L. Kennedy, a young boy narrates the story of his father who has returned from war with severe facial injuries. David Almond's "A World That Has No War in It," tells the story of how writing with a soldier's pencil ended a deadly feud between two Irish families. And in Sheena Wilkinson's "Each Slow Dusk," a teenage girl realizes she will have to sacrifice her college plans in order to care for her wounded brother. Interspersed throughout are Kay's haunting illustrations and at the end of the compilation are photos and descriptions of the items that inspired the stories. As there are no living World War I veterans to tell their stories, this profound collection may be as close as some readers will get to truly understanding the emotional devastation of one of the world's bloodiest wars. VERDICT A solid purchase for public and school libraries, particularly those needing to update their World War I collections.-Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A group of celebrated writers, including Michael Morpurgo, A.L. Kennedy, David Almond and John Boyne, reflects on simple artifacts from World War I to create a collection of short stories. The items themselves are simple, even mundane. A wartime butter dish. A compass. A school magazine. But the stories themselves, ranging in setting from the apex of the war to its centenary now, combine each small treasure with a child's point of view to say something profound about memory and loss and what it means to wage war. In Timothe de Fombelle's "Captain Rosalie," a small girl imagines herself a secret spy as she works to uncover the code that will let her read her father's letters. Tanya Lee Stone's story in verse, "A Harlem Hellfighter and His Horn," takes readers from America's racially divided cities to Belleau Wood, where a young musician learns that "Maybe making something of yourself is as / simple / aswalking, no / marching / straight into the center of / fear / all while playing a horn." Each story, lovingly crafted, shows a different facet of war in the same way that each artifact reflects something different about the time. Perhaps most moving is Tracy Chevalier's "When They Were Needed Most," in which a small boy's theft of a cigarette from a Christmas package meant for soldiers becomes the very thing that saves his father's life. Black-and-white illustrations by Kay and photos and descriptions of each artifact complete the whole. Extraordinary. (Short stories. 8 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
