“No one said which Christmas“.
Recommended to me by the wonderful ravenandbeez, this book will hit you right where you live. (Thanks for breaking my heart, ladies. Sheesh.)
The day Alfie Summerfield turned 5, the First World War broke out. Alfie’s dad Georgie promised him that he wouldn’t join up, but broke the promise the next day, leaving Alfie and his mum on their own.
Now Alfie is 9 and hasn’t heard from his dad for more than two years. His mum says Georgie is away on a special mission for the government, but Alfie knows it can’t be true. He knows something has happened, he just doesn’t know what. He goes to school two days a week because those are the days that have the subjects he enjoys. The rest of the week, he shines shoes for pennies at King’s Cross Station and slips the money into his mum’s purse at the end of the day, to help her out and do his share. And it is there that he happens upon some information that leads him to the truth about his dad.
Which is that he is hospitalized for PTSD (shell shock, 100 years ago). In WWI doctors, nurses and medical professionals were trying to deal with and treat a condition that had no physical symptoms, all the while battling the public and government perception that the men were merely suffering from cowardice. Georgie is one of those men.
Holy. Crap. Alfie! What a wonderful narrator for the story. Intelligent and funny and straight forward. Author John Boyne perfectly captures the innocence and bluntness of youth in the boy. Alfie sees the world his own way, and everything is black and white. There are no overtones of adult logic or greyscale, just what Alfie sees and how he perceives it, and it is SPECTACULAR.
Georgie and Margie and Joe and Mr. Janacek and Kalena and Granny Summerfield are so true to life. Margie holds a job for the first time, doing her bit for the war effort while trying to keep a roof over their heads. Joe, the conscientious objector and Georgie’s lifelong friend, who holds onto his beliefs in the face of those who call him coward and would force him to kill. Mr. Janacek is persecuted for his birthplace while Kalena dreams of being Prime Minister one day. And Granny is the stereotypical stiff-upper-lip Brit who is fiercely loyal to her own. And all are seen through Alfie’s eyes, with his perception of each. They are perfect.
Wartime London is grey and suspicious and close-knit. Families and neighbourhoods close ranks and protect one another, but are quick to turn when someone doesn’t conform.
This book is a true historical novel. Boyne does not shy away from the horror and terror and hardship of war, he just sees it through the eyes of a 9-year-old boy, doing a masterful job of portraying the culture and societal norms of the time.
It makes it no less painful to see a man break even though his son doesn’t quite understand what is broken. To tackle a topic such as this in a middle-grade novel might seem too much, but Boyne handles it gently and in terms a young reader can grasp. And while it may seem like something we don’t want our children to face, with terror and war raging around the globe many already are.
Be prepared for a punch in the heart.
That sounds like such a powerful book.
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It is! Incredibly well done. It tackles the subject matter really well.
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Great review! Somehow this book has passed my by, even though I’ve read and loved others by John Boyne so I’m really glad I read your review today. I’m definitely going to be buying a copy of this book now.
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I hadn’t heard of it either and was so glad it was recommended to me. It is worth the read. Thank you for stopping by!
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I’ve just bought a kindle copy to read, so hopefully I can get to read it soon.
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This YA book sounds excellent and I love the cover. I never tire of the genre and the subject and I already want to know more about Alfie. Thanks for the review!
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You will love him – he tries to be the man of the house and take care of his mum.
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Sweet!
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Reblogged this on Praying for Eyebrowz and commented:
This sounds quite good. If you love to read and need great recommendations I suggest you follow yourdaughtersbookshelf.wordpress.com.
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome!
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I’m so glad you read it and loved it! Your review is so beautiful it makes me want to read it again 😀
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Thank you! It is such a wonderful book, thank you for recommending it!
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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This sounds wonderful. And, I do think it’s a good topic for children to learn about, even though we may wish to protect them from it. Especially since you don’t have to be in a war to develop PTSD. And what better way to learn about it than a book like this? 🙂
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Very true, that is a great point. We sometimes protect children from sadness when maybe we just don’t know the right way to teach them or prepare them. Thank you for commenting!
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Such a masterful, intriguing, and appealing review…I love the book and haven’t even read it! You have a gift for communicating what another has communicated…thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thank you so much for your kind words! You made my day. 😀 Thank you for stopping by!
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The pleasure’s all mine 🙂
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Seems like a good book! Hey, if you have the series of the Water Fire Saga on your bookshelf, it would be a nice review, since you are so good at reviews 😀. http://waterfiresaga.com/about#sticky-nav
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Thanks for the recommendation! I will put it on my list. I’ve heard of the series, but haven’t read it yet.
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Sounds like a good book. Also, timely as we are still struggling to understand PTSD.
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Very timely, and a good way for children to try and understand. Thank you for stopping by!
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sounds really good 😀
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It is. I hope you get the chance to read it!
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Oh gosh another great review- and another book I just *have to read*- I swear my tbr is 90% full of your recommendations!!
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Ha! Thanks – it is all part of my evil plot to help fill your shelves! But you can thank ravenandbeez for this one, and you should read their review too – it’s fabulous.
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hahahaa it’s working very well!! awesome- thanks for the recommendation 🙂
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Woah, this seems pretty good! PTSD and WWI in general are pretty dark topics for anyone, but seeing them in an MG is certainly surprising. I’ll have to check this out!
Thanks for stopping by Princessica of Books!
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It is handled with a lot of sensitivity, and as seen through the boy’s eyes, so in terms children can handle, I think. Makes it no less emotional!
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