What’s Five Children on the Western Front about?
It’s a heart-wrenching sequel to E Nesbit’s Five Children and It, set on the eve of the first world war. The five children have grown up and war will change their lives for ever.
Cyril is off to fight, Anthea is at art college, Robert is a Cambridge scholar and Jane is at high school. The Lamb is the grown up age of 11, and he has a little sister, Edith, in tow. The sand fairy has become a creature of stories ... until he suddenly reappears. The siblings are pleased to have something to take their minds off the war but this time the Psammead is here for a reason, and his magic might have a more serious purpose.
Before this last adventure ends, all will be changed, and the two younger children will have seen the war from every possible viewpoint - factory-workers, soldiers and sailors, nurses and the people left at home, and the war’s impact will be felt right at the heart of their family.
Now watch this
You can also...
- Read about how Kate Saunders was inspired by E Nesbit, author of Five Children and It
- Read an extract
- Listen to Kate Saunders talk about the book in our podcast
- Read a review
- And another! And another!
And now… write your review!
The Guardian young critics competition is for all young readers to share their views on any of the longlisted books. Anyone aged 18 or under can enter by writing a review of no more than 500 words of one of the books longlisted for the prize. Individuals or school/library classes/bookgroups can enter and there are great prizes to be won including all the longlisted books and being invited to the books party of the year, the Guardian children’s fiction prize award ceremony in November. You can find out more and enter the competition here.
You can find out more about all the authors on the Guardian children’s fiction prize book club page links and info will be added as they go live, one author a week for eight weeks!
