War Is Over

Written by David Almond

In 1918, a boy's chance meeting with an enemy child reveals a glimpse of peace amidst war.

3.8 Goodreads · 526 ratings

128 pages· 7,757 words· Est. 52 min read· ~630L

$16.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

In 1918, young John grapples with the harsh realities of war as his father fights in France and his mother toils in a munitions factory. His teacher insists he's at war with German children, but a surreal encounter in the woods with Jan, a German boy, challenges this notion. Can their unexpected friendship sow the seeds of peace in a world torn apart? This poignant tale explores the innocence of childhood amidst the chaos of conflict, offering a hopeful vision of unity beyond the battlefield.

From the publisher

Transcending its time and period, this moving and lyrical story, beautifully illustrated, explores the fear and hope of children in time of war. I am just a child. How can I be at war? It’s 1918, and war is everywhere. John’s father is fighting in the trenches far away in France, while his mother works in a menacing munitions factory just along the road. His teacher says that John is fighting, too, that he is at war with enemy children in Germany. One day, in the wild woods outside town, John has an impossible moment: a dreamlike meeting with a German boy named Jan. John catches a glimpse of a better world, in which children like Jan and himself can one day scatter the seeds of peace. David Almond brings his ineffable sensibility to a poignant tale of the effects of war on children, interwoven with David Litchfield’s gorgeous black-and-white illustrations.

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