The Horror of War! (PoW - Martin Booth)

Member Name: tange

Product:	PoW - Martin Booth
Date:	22/03/04 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Remarkable Story, Well written , Great imagary

Disadvantages: Martin Booth will never write another stroy!

While STILL waiting to reach the top of the waiting list for Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful I thought I'd try to find something similar to keep my interest and while away the hours. I looked along the shelves in the Older Fiction section in the Children?s library ~ I got as far as "B" before a copy of Martin Booth's PoW (Prisoner of War) caught my eye. Further inspection (I read the "blurb" on the back) got my curiosity further and I decided THIS was the book I should read next.

~~~THE AUTHOR.

Martin Booth was born in 1944 (on September 7th) and unfortunately died on the 12th February this year (2004). He had been ill for around eighteen months and finally lost his brave battle against cancer. Martin Booth had been a writer for many years and produced lots of different styles of work ~ he has written poetry, novels, articles for newspapers, travel books, biographies and Children's books. Before taking up his pen he had quite a few different jobs, including a navvy, a clerk, a lorry driver and a teacher.

From his birth in Lancashire he was then educated in Hong Kong, before heading off into all those jobs. He started writing in the 60's, having a number of poetry pamphlets published for various magazines. Booth kept on writing and living life to the full until the final weeks of his illness stopped him ~ he leaves a wife (Helen Barber), a son, a daughter and a lot of interesting books!

~~~THE PLOT.

PoW is the story of Ted Foley ~ a cabin boy who lies about his age to join the Navy in The First World War. The story begins, when Ted is 14 years old and the year is 1914. Ted's duties aboard the HMS Nomad are to carry ammunition to the ship?s guns and the carry out any jobs that need doing. His ship is involved in the Battle of Jutland (fought on 31st May 1916 for all you history buffs), is hit by enemy fire and sunk. Ted is sent to a prisoner of war camp in Brandenburg, where c
onditions are very hard and he witnesses cruelty and death. Ted knows he MUST escape, but he also knows that if he tries and fails he WILL be shot!

Ted plans his way out carefully and when he does get out he finds that surviving in an enemy country is just as hard as escaping. The story is full of action, adventures, heartbreak and fear ~ but if you want to know what becomes of Ted in the end you will have to read the book!

~~~WHAT I THOUGHT.

PoW is a remarkable book! Although written for children, and aimed at the 8 to 15 year old market, it is superbly written and full of descriptive text. The attention to detail is extraordinary and some of the words and phrases used just make the story come alive. Some of my favourite bits describe the battle ~ there are so many but, if I had to pick, I would say the best are:

"The smoke rose higher and higher, expanding over the sea as if it would darken and choke the whole sky." P, 40

And "Suddenly, the deck under Ted?s feet shivered and rippled as if it were made of cardboard." P, 47

I think those lines are very atmospheric and demonstrate just how well written this novel is. Such descriptive text makes empathising with the characters easy and made me feel as though I was there living the story WITH Ted.

Some of the language used may be a little difficult for some of the younger readers. For example, Booth describes the moment Ted finds himself overboard and under water very poetically, almost like it is a ballet:

"The bubbles leaking from Ted's lips pirouetted towards the surface above." P, 56

This, far from making the story less appealing, makes it a real joy to read. The story flows nicely and it is SO easy to get caught up in the action. Ted's character is believable and his emotions and thoughts seem true to life too. When Ted finally realises that he could be killed his reaction is exactly what I think
mine would be. He says that he "did not want to die...He wanted to fight, but not to be injured or killed." P, 41

His enthusiasm to join up at the beginning is first replaced by fear (at the battle), terror (at nearly drowning), uncertainty (at being captured) and finally by determination and hope. The strongest of these emotions (and what make Ted such a strong character) is the determination he has to survive, despite what he knows will happen if he is caught. He has a sense of purpose that keeps him alive ~ he sees a lot of horrible sights (things that someone of his age should never see) yet he is still able to maintain a sense of humour and a will to return back to England.

PoW has a believable plot because many young men did lie about their age in order to join the Armed Forces and fight. Many of them did get injured, killed or kidnapped, so it is possible that the events portrayed could have happened. This is what makes this book all the more startling and impossible to put down. Not only is it full of action it is also full of detailed observations that make you feel "part" of Ted's story. Lines like "The wool of his jersey began to smell like a dog in a warm room." P, 177 and "The final word rang out like the report of a rifle...It sent a frisson of terror up Ted's spine." are beautifully crafted and also set the scene well.

I would say that PoW is a good adventure story for teenagers (possibly a year or two younger, but no less than that) and also an interesting read for adults who are interested in The Great War. It can be enjoyed on a variety of levels ~ younger children will like the adventure and the humour (Ted observes the drips in his soup are like "gobs" of spit, for example), older children and teenagers will like these things, but will also appreciate the references to the War and, finally, adults will like the writing style and attention to detail.

Mos
t books I have read seem to focus on the Army, so it's also nice to see a story that takes its inspiration from the Navy. It would also make a useful teaching resource for anyone learning about The First World War and Naval history. I found it to be well written, well researched and so easy to read ~ a book I will not easily forget!

~~~Book details.

? Hardcover 188 pages (August 2002)
? Publisher: Longman
? ISBN: 0582447186
current price on Amazon.co.uk £6.75

? Paperback 160 pages (6 June, 2000)
? Publisher: Puffin Books
? ISBN: 0141304219
current price on Amazon.co.uk £4.99

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