Lord of the Nutcracker Men - Softcover

Iain Lawrence

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007135572 ISBN 13: 9780007135578

Publisher: Collins, 2004

Synopsis

A young boy gradually comes to understand the difference between his toy soldiers and the bloodshed of the First World War in this poignant story. Ten-year-old Johnny loves the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. Johnny eagerly plays at war, demolishing imaginary foes. But in 1914, war with Germany looms, and all too soon Johnny's father is swept up in the war to end all wars as he proudly enlists to fight at the front in France. Johnny believes his father will be back in a few months, in time to celebrate Christmas with him and his mum. But the war is nothing like any soldier or person at home expected. It is brutal and horrific. The letters that arrive from Johnny's dad reveal the ugly realities of combat -- and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious battle out in the muddy garden. His war games bind him to the father he longs to see again. But when these games seem to foretell his dad's real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father's fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man's-land, and the outcome of the war itself. In this haunting and poignant tale, Iain Lawrence explores the irrationality of war and its effect on lives that are all too fragile.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Ten-year-old Johnny eagerly plays at war with the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. He demolishes imaginary foes. But in 1914 Germany looms as the real enemy of Europe, and all too soon Johnny?s father is swept up in the war to end all wars. He proudly enlists with his British countrymen to fight at the front in France. The war, though, is nothing like what any soldier or person at home expected.

The letters that arrive from Johnny?s dad reveal the ugly realities of combat ? and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious fights. But when these games seem to foretell his dad?s real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father?s fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man?s land, and the outcome of the war itself.
From the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover:

“Big themes are hauntingly conveyed through gripping personal story and eerie symbolism.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“Beautifully integrated supporting characters reinforce Lawrence’s theme of the horror of war.”–The Horn Book Magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0007135572
• ISBN 13: 9780007135578
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272