Stay Where You Are and Then Leave

By John Boyne, Oliver Jeffers (Illustrator)

A boy discovers his missing father in a mysterious hospital and plans a daring rescue.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 12,415 ratings

256 pages

$13.99Save 4%

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Bookroo's summary

Alfie Summerfield's father vanished into the chaos of World War I, leaving behind a broken promise. Four years later, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie stumbles upon a clue: his father's name on a military doctor's papers. His father is nearby, trapped in a hospital for soldiers with shell shock. Unfamiliar with this condition, Alfie is determined to rescue him from this unsettling place. Can a young boy navigate the shadows of war to reunite his family, or will the secrets of the past keep them apart forever?

From the publisher

The next work of historical fiction from the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne’s Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is a touching look at the effects war has on a family. The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield’s father promised he wouldn’t go away to fight–but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn’t know where his father might be, other than that he’s away on a special, secret mission. Then, while shining shoes at King’s Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father’s name on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realizes his father is in a hospital close by–a hospital treating soldiers with shell shock. Alfie isn’t sure what shell shock is, but he is determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place. This title has Common Core connections.

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