Megiddo's Shadow

KLIATT

WW I and horses, an old-fashioned war story with a young hero who evolves from a enthusiastic warrior to a more reflective person who hates war--this novel will appeal to readers of adventure. It begins on the plains of Canada when Edward learns of the death of his older brother, who was fighting in France. Edward's rage and desire for revenge against the Germans drive him to abandon his father who is sick with depression over the loss of his son, leave the farm, and lie about his age to join up to fight in Europe. When he arrives in England, because of his farm experience, he is put to work training horses for the cavalry. This keeps him safe for a while, though he hates that, but eventually he goes with the cavalry to Palestine. The action there, the horror of the killing of men and horses, changes everything. In England, Edward meets a young nurse, Emily, who eventually is sent to work in France. They exchange letters, their love for one another growing, until war destroys everything between them. At the end of the book, Edward returns home, now understanding why his father, who fought in the Boer War, never wanted his sons to fight. So we have here a war story that becomes an anti-war story, as most do. The details about training horses and being close to horses give the novel special appeal. (The story is based on the experiences of the author's grandfather, who fought in Palestine and Egypt in WW I.) KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2006, Random House, Wendy Lamb, 304p., $15.95.. Ages 12 to 18.
—Claire Rosser

Children's Literature - Monserrat Urena

Hector Bathe, Edward's older brother, dies fighting for his country during World War I. Back home, Edward's father, bedridden and under emotional duress, refuses to let his remaining son enlist. Despite his father's forbidding, Edward, only sixteen, joins the war effort. His journey leads him from his native Canada, across the Atlantic, all the way to Palestine. Along the way he falls in love, develops a close camaraderie with his fellow soldiers, and forms an unbreakable bond with his horse, Bucephalus or "Buke" for short. This is not a romanced or lovely story about a horse and his boy; it is an incarnation of Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est." The text's presentation of the emotional and psychological inner struggles that arise when propaganda fails is an uncompromising look at humanity in the chaos of war. This is a highly engrossing and recommended book for young readers. Slade does not pander to his readers; he instead gives them a book whose message and main character embody the very questions and sorrows that are so painfully pertinent to our present point in world history.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-An engrossing and thought-provoking story of a young man fighting in World War I. Upon learning of his brother's death at the German front, 16-year-old Edward Bathe lies about his age and enlists, leaving Canada and his father's farm for England. When he injures himself training a horse, he meets Emily Waters, an army nurse. Their relationship progresses through letters when Emily transfers to the front. A move from the infantry to the yeomanry starts Edward's war in earnest, but his plans to avenge his brother's death are altered when he is sent to Palestine to fight the Turks. Soldiers die from the heat and disease, horses fall in action, and friends die in battle. The young man's faith in God and in humanity are shaken, and he returns to Canada injured in body and spirit. All of the characters are fully realized, from Edward, a church-going innocent, to his "Uncle Nix," a friend of the family and an army colonel who spouts platitudes about people "in the Empire having to dig in and give" but who honestly believes what he says. Edward's camaraderie with his tent mates keeps him reasonably sane until he discovers that one of them enjoys killing. Megiddo's Shadow is the perfect book to have on hand for the ever-popular historical-fiction assignment, but don't purchase it for only that reason. Buy it because it is a powerful book that needs to be read.-Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

What would it be like to have your faith in God and country tested in the Holy Land itself? Sixteen-year-old Canadian Edward Bathe has already lost his brother Hector in World War I, and now he feels it's his duty to serve. He abandons his ailing father and heads off to war, ending up in Palestine to fight the Turks. The war shatters Edward's faith, and when he returns home and enters his old church, he whispers to the carving of Jesus on the cross, "I walked where you walked, and I didn't see you anywhere." The narrative takes its time in getting Edward to Palestine, but when he enters battle on his beloved horse Buke, the scenes are every bit as exciting as any movie spectacle. Though additional historical context would have provided depth to the story, rousing action and characters to care about yield a memorable tale. A good match with Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful (2003). (map, author's note) (Fiction. 12-15)