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| Image: Candlewick Press |
Young John cannot remember his father's face, he has been fighting in France for so long. His mother works long hours in a munitions factory. His war-hawk teacher has planned a trip to visit that very same factory. On the walk there, John and his class pass an older man speaking out against the war in the park. He showers them with photographs of German children and exhorts the crowd to protest the war. Adults respond by beating the man while vilifying him as a coward. John pockets the photo of Jan, a boy not unlike himself, who lives in Dusseldorf.
Most books by David Almond look quite simple, but do not rush your way through any of them because there are depths to be plumbed. This novella digs deep. The imagery is stark and disturbing. It is beautifully illustrates the confusion and uncertainty of a child attempting to make sense of the world.
One quibble: there was no author note in the arc, nor a page designated that one was to come. A young reader trying this alone probably won't understand it without background knowledge, making it better suited to a shared reading. Still, I cannot wait to reread the finished book and add it to my collection of WWI stories. Devastating and relevant.
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