About this item
Highlights
- The next work of historical fiction from the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne's Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is a touching look at the effects war has on a family.
- 9-12 Years
- 7.7" x 5.2" Paperback
- 256 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Historical
Description
About the Book
Includes discussion guide and questions for the author.Book Synopsis
The next work of historical fiction from the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne's Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is a touching look at the effects war has on a family.
The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield's father promised he wouldn't go away to fight--but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn't know where his father might be, other than that he's away on a special, secret mission. Then, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father's name on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realizes his father is in a hospital close by--a hospital treating soldiers with shell shock. Alfie isn't sure what shell shock is, but he is determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place. This title has Common Core connections.Review Quotes
"As in previous Boyne work, unlikely encounters and occurrences abound. . . . It's made palatable by the third-person narration, which keeps readers experiencing events solely from Alfie's intelligent but childlike point of view." --The Horn Book
"As much about familial love as about war, this novel tugs at the heartstrings, creating a sentimental but sound story that would shine as a classroom readaloud." --BCCB "Boyne, much like in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, takes readers into the throes of war as seen through the eyes of a child." --School Library Journal "Another child's-eye view of war from the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas; here the child is working class, the conflict, World War I. . . . A vivid, accessible tale of the staggering price war exacts from those who had no voice in waging it." --Kirkus Reviews "In the final pages, the tension rises precipitously and the harrowing ending, in which Bruno does finally act, is sure to take readers' breath away." --Publishers Weekly on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas "Deeply affecting . . . Beautiful and sparsely written." --The Wall Street Journal on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas "A small wonder of a book . . . This is what fiction is supposed to do." --The Guardian on The Boy in the Striped Pajamas "Powerful and unsettling . . . As memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank." --USA Today on The Boy in the Striped PajamasAbout the Author
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of several novels. Boyne's celebrated The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was winner of the Irish Book Award Children's Book of the Year, as well as numerous other awards and commendations. It was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the International IMPAC Literary Award and was made into a Miramax feature film. His novels are published in over 40 languages. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Oliver Jeffers is an author and illustrator.