Stay Where You Are and Then Leave

January 6, 2014
Boyne (The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket) delivers an original look at what was known as “shell shock” during WWI through the eyes of Alfie Summerfield, a milkman’s son in a working-class London neighborhood. Opening on Alfie’s fifth birthday, July 28, 1914 (the day the “fighting had started”) and closing on his 13th, the story focuses on the fall of 1918, when Alfie discovers that his father—who had enlisted, against his family’s wishes, and who Alfie fears is dead—is in a nearby hospital. Readers who persist through the relatively slow first half will be rewarded with the excitement of Alfie’s daring adventure of bringing his father home; the closing chapter reunites all the characters, movie-ending style, mending frayed or broken relationships and tying up the loose ends a little too neatly. The book’s strength lies in Alfie’s appeal as a perceptive, hardworking, loving, and brave boy; some of his neighbors are intelligently and engagingly fleshed out, as well. Boyne gracefully renders the opposing strong feelings the war inspired, but uneven pacing weakens the overall effect. Art not seen by PW. Ages 9–12.

Narrator Euan Morton faces, and conquers, a tough challenge in Boyne's WWI story for youthful listeners. From the perspective of 5-year-old Archie Summerfield, Euan voices the confusion and dread of those on the London home front. Morton's clearly adult voice is disconcerting at first but soon suits the character as Archie rapidly matures and contrives a secret mission to rescue his institutionalized father. Morton's delivery of the horrors of trench warfare, as recounted by shell-shocked veterans in the hospital where Archie discovers his father, is heartrending. Equally compelling are the myriad voices of Archie's London neighborhood whose denizens include a Hungarian shopkeeper, a brutalized pacifist, grieving mothers, and bewildered kids. Morton's presentation will capture listeners of all ages as Archie tackles the war head-on from home. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-World War I breaks out on Alfie's fifth birthday, and everyone in his neighborhood feels its effects. Alfie's father joins up and his mother starts work as a nurse, takes in laundry, and sews to pay the rent. Alfie does his part and becomes a shoeshine boy. Despite some contrived events, the characters are so realistic and endearing that listeners' concern for their heartrending experiences will override any plot holes. Euan Morton's fully voiced narration is stunning, not only showing exasperation during the intense moments, but also the subtleties of the parents' love for each other and the weariness brought on by four years of war. This audiobook is an engaging way for students to understand historical events and terms like conscientious objector and shell shock, relevant today as PTSD.-C. A. Fehmel, St. Louis County Library, MO

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