Private Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful lied about his age to join the army, and on this night he's not quite 18. As the hours pass, he remembers his life in England, the people and places he loves, how he joined the army, and the horrors of trench warfare.

The time keeps ticking by, but Tommo doesn't want the night to ever end. He doesn't want to face the fateful morning that looms for Private Peaceful.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lovely, heart-breaking, horrifying, and thought-provoking.

Here's an informative website about the British Army during WWI, including a section on military crimes and punishments; with this novel Morpurgo helped to encourage posthumous pardons for a number of British soldiers (many of them suffering from shell shock) executed during the first World War for cowardice and desertion.

Left at the information desk / literature kiosk during the Honolulu Festival; I'll count this for the Wine + Food + BookCrossing challenge.

(Larger photo here.)

Thanks for finding this book!

If you're new to Bookcrossing, I hope you will take some time to explore this wonderful free and anonymous community and learn what it has to offer.

Freed any good books lately? It's good for the circulation. :)