This is a collection of original short stories inspired by artifacts from the First World War. Authors include Michael Morpurgo, Tracy Chevalier, and Marcus Sedgwick. The stories all feature children or teens. Some are more successful than others. The story that appealed most to me was “Our Jacko” by Michael Morpurgo, about a 21st century teenager for whom the First World War became personal with the discovery of a great-grandfather who lost his life in the war. The audio version uses several narrators, and each reader’s voice suits the story he or she reads. Candlewick Press seems to consistently publish high quality children’s and young adult books, and this anthology is no exception. ( )

This story collection has different authors, all given the task to write a story around an item from World War I.

I honestly have little to say about this book--I recall a few of the stories. I listened to it over the summer, as it was part of the Audiobook Sync downloads. Don’t expect happy stories; these are stories of what happens to each person during the war. Authors all took different approaches. One story involves students having to write about the history of their family. The father recalls a box with faint recollections of its contents. The story reveals the few items of an almost forgotten family member and his sacrifice for Britain. Another story talks about boys who tend to do the “wrong” thing. They continue this trend even though the sister tells them it’s going to happen and steal a package meant for the troops. There’s a twist at the end. There are perhaps around 10 stories in this anthology.

Overall, it’s a nice memorial to those who died in an almost forgotten war that ended 100 years ago. It was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. Of course, those soldier’s children were involved in World War II. I think I would have enjoyed reading the stories more than listening. ( )

As with all anthologies, this was a mix of good, bad, and mediocre. I was a bit terrified of how this would be when I heard the first reader's voice. And then she read the second story as well. She was HORRIBLE. But thankfully, there were other readers as well. Maud's story and the one with the cigarette were my favorites. ( )

This book is meant for Young Adult readers but I found it very thought-provoking even though it has been a long time since I was young. Various writers were asked to write a short story inspired by items from World War I which started in 1914, over 100 years ago. I think this is such a great idea to acquaint young people with the sacrifices and horror and heroism of war.

One of the items was a small tin that was filled with items such as cigarettes or candy which was sent to each soldier for Christmas 1914. Seventeen-year-old Princess Mary set up a fund for these boxes. Tracy Chevalier wrote a wonderful story about one particular box that made its way to the front lines. This story really resonated with me because I have one of these boxes. A friend gave it to me when I had my first real job after finishing university. I used it to hold my business cards when I was working and now that I am retired I keep postage stamps in it. I never open it without thinking about the hands that must have opened it in 1914. I presume since it ended up in Winnipeg that the soldier must have made it back home safely but Chevalier's story does say that lots of men sent them back to their families while they were still at the front. So I will never know its history but it is a constant reminder to me of "The Great War".

My only quibble with this book is that it contains no stories about Canada even though Canadian troops fought in all the major battles in France and Belgium including Ypres, the Somme, Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele and over 65,000 Canadians died. There are stories about English, Irish, Australians, French and even the Americans who didn't come into the war until 1917. I know we have lots of great writers in Canada so that can't be the reason for the omission. For anyone interested in the Canadian viewpoint I can recommend Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery. I also saw recommendations online for Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence and Charlie Wilcox and Charlie Wilcox's Great War by Sharon E. McKay. Finally I give you the famous poem by Canadian John McCrae, In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. ( )

I requested this from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. I really like this program, because it introduces me to books that I never would’ve otherwise heard of. Like this one, which I didn’t have on my radar at all, but absolutely enjoyed.

This book had a few amazing things going for it. It’s got a great selection of authors involved with it, the idea of creating a collection of stories that are all based around real-life objects from WWI is so super cool, and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. This collection of short stories spoke to me a lot more than most that I’ve read.

There are eleven short stories in this collection, all of which are about or aimed children or teens. In some cases the war is still going on, in others the war happened decades ago and the protagonists are learning about it. Each shows how – whether it takes place during the war or later – war can have a great effect on every person’s lives. The only author who I had been familiar with ahead of time was Tracy Chevalier, but I’ve now got a handful of authors I’m going to be keeping my eyes peeled for.

The eleven stories included are:

Our Jacko by Michael Morpurgo. Inspired by a Brodie helmet
Another Kind of Missing by A.L. Kennedy. Inspired by a compass
Don’t Call it Glory by Marcus Sedgwick. Inspired by a nose of a Zeppelin bomb
The Country you called Home by John Boyne. Inspired by a recruitment poster
When They Were Needed Most by Tracy Chevalier. Inspired by a Princess Mary’s gift fund box
A World that has no War in it by David Almond. Inspired by a soldier’s writing case
A Harlem Hellfighter and his Horn by Tanya Lee Stone. Inspired by sheet music
Maud’s Story by Adele Geras. Inspired by a war-time butter dish
Captain Rosalie by Timothy de Fombelle. Inspired by a Victoria Cross
Each Slow Dusk by Sheena Wilkinson. Inspired by school magazines
Little Wars by Ursula Dubosarsky. Inspired by a French toy soldier.
The ones that personally spoke to me the best were Kennedy’s Another Kind of Missing and de Fombelle’s Captain Rosalie. I found these two both so absolutely moving and heartbreaking. Especially Another Kind of Missing, which left me completely sobbing. There’s something about the innocence of childhood and these characters not being able to always grasp what is really going on or how things have changed because of the war… but also the undying love and devotion…

The Bottom Line: Highly recommended. I’ll be keeping this one on my shelf.

Originally Published: http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2015/08/14/the-great-war/ ( )