Jackie French has written so many books, but she claims in the acknowledgements that this was one book she wasn't too excited to write.
It's not a war story; rather a historical recount of Australia and New Zealand's 'failed' Gallipoli campaign. Amazingly, we decided to back out of this part of the war, and in two nights, managed to move over 100 000 troops out of the battlefields to boats without a single casualty. Her writing describes the ingenious ways in which the ANZACs managed to pull this off.
I had no idea about this until I read Jackie's book. This is the stuff we should be learning in school, along with our Indigenous Peoples' contributions that have never been recognised.
I would recommend this book for at least 12 year olds and above. There are descriptions of war-type behaviours; like how the troops were instructed to 'take care' of the horses (they couldn't be taken on the boats with the troops) and descriptions of moving bodies no longer alive.Show moreShow less
It's not a war story; rather a historical recount of Australia and New Zealand's 'failed' Gallipoli campaign. Amazingly, we decided to back out of this part of the war, and in two nights, managed to move over 100 000 troops out of the battlefields to boats without a single casualty. Her writing describes the ingenious ways in which the ANZACs managed to pull this off.
I had no idea about this until I read Jackie's book. This is the stuff we should be learning in school, along with our Indigenous Peoples' contributions that have never been recognised.
I would recommend this book for at least 12 year olds and above. There are descriptions of war-type behaviours; like how the troops were instructed to 'take care' of the horses (they couldn't be taken on the boats with the troops) and descriptions of moving bodies no longer alive. Show more Show less