Description
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3
Langwarrin, Victoria, 1914. The whole world is at war. In Langwarrin on the Mornington Peninsula, fourteen-year-old Jack Thorning is the best marksman in military cadet training. His brother, Matt, taught him everything he knew, after their father died. But now Matt has joined the war effort, and it's up to Jack to hold down the home front and help his mother run the family orchard.
When a group of 'enemy aliens' are sent to Langwarrin to be held prisoner at the military base, tensions in the town run high. For Jack and his best friend, Walter, the war feels closer than ever.
Like the rest of the town, Jack and Walter want nothing to do with the German prisoners. But as the war progresses, the inmates at the camp are put to work doing manual labour on the farms around Langwarrin, including Jack's family orchard, and Jack begins to see that the prisoners are people, too.
What could Jack possibly have in common with the people responsible for keeping his beloved brother at war? And can Shakespeare bring them all together?
Review
It’s 1914 and fourteen-year-old Jack lives in Langwarrin with his Mum. His Dad died when he was young, and his older brother Matt taught him everything. Now Matt has joined the army and Jack misses him terribly, but he will need to grow up quickly so he can help his Mum on their orchard.
The government has chosen Langwarrin as the place for an internment camp for enemy aliens - people who have German heritage - to be held as prisoners while the war is on. The townspeople are not happy to have Germans in their midst, and when some of the families of the men arrive in town tensions rise quickly. Jack’s best friend Walter thinks the families deserve a chance, but Jack hates the Germans and wants nothing to do with them.
But with so many men off fighting there are not enough people to pick the apples on Jack's orchard that the government needs. The army suggests that some of the prisoners could be used as farm labourers, and so some soon arrive to start picking. Jack has to teach them what they need to do and, as he has more contact with them, he realises that they are not the monsters he wants to believe they are.
When the workers decide to put on a play and perform Hamlet, Jack can’t help but listen to them reciting it as they work, and it makes him begin to question his place and where he really fits. Can Shakespeare show the Germans in a different light? And will Jack be a part of it?
This is a great story about the impact of war on those left at home, and how difficult it was for the communities where internment camps were put. Based on real events, this book shows that though we may have many differences, we also have many things in common with people we think of as the enemy during times of war.
Jack is a wonderful character as he tries to help his Mum run the orchard, while staying at school and worrying about his brother Matt as well. It’s a book full of themes of family, friendship and growing up, with a good dose of Shakespeare quotes from Hamlet.
This will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who love historical fiction. A great story with wonderful characters, it will best suit those aged 11 and up.
Teacher notes prepared by the publisher are available on our website for this title.
