This is yet another brilliant book by John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. He helps children understand what it would be like to be a child in the first world war.
Alfie is a five-year-old boy when his dad signs up to join the British army in 1914. Alfie starts off well, adapting to not having father around. He enjoys receiving letters from him. But when no more letters are received, Alfie gets suspicious. He discovers that his father is ill in hospital because of shell shock. He sets on a mission to save his father.
This magnificent book is written in the third person and is talking about the way Alfie saw things. Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is thoughtful but funny in places. I think it is suitable for age 10-12.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
