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When Our Jack Went to War
A fictional account of a real life tragedy, based on the author's research into the death of her own great uncle, who died in 1917. The NZ Post Award-winning Sandy McKay ably conveys how war affects everyone – it's a superb meditation on war and its devastating effect on soldiers and their families.
A powerful, moving story for young teenagers, set in World War One.
It’s 1917 and Jack enlists. And although 13-year-old Tom is envious of his elder brother, he soon changes his mind as the reality of war becomes more apparent. We follow Jack’s story through his letters home and through the eyes of his younger brother. Tom writes about life at home in New Zealand: living with Mum and their young sister, Amy, learning to hunt with his uncle, getting a puppy and learning to knit…for the war effort.Jack writes of his first-hand experience in Trentham, the troop ship, Britain, France, the Battle of Messines and finally, Passchendaele. Sadly the story ends with Jack being killed at Passchendaele along with hundreds of other Kiwis. (Of the 180 soldiers in the 2nd Otago Division, 148 lost their lives in one day in New Zealand’s worst ever military disaster.)
A powerful, moving story for young teenagers, set in World War One.
It’s 1917 and Jack enlists. And although 13-year-old Tom is envious of his elder brother, he soon changes his mind as the reality of war becomes more apparent. We follow Jack’s story through his letters home and through the eyes of his younger brother. Tom writes about life at home in New Zealand: living with Mum and their young sister, Amy, learning to hunt with his uncle, getting a puppy and learning to knit…for the war effort.Jack writes of his first-hand experience in Trentham, the troop ship, Britain, France, the Battle of Messines and finally, Passchendaele. Sadly the story ends with Jack being killed at Passchendaele along with hundreds of other Kiwis. (Of the 180 soldiers in the 2nd Otago Division, 148 lost their lives in one day in New Zealand’s worst ever military disaster.)
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 24, 2017
Sandy Mckay’s gorgeous ‘When our Jack Went To War’ is a story that deals with small life events set against world-changing wars. The book is told as letters between Tom, a young boy in Dunedin, and Jack, his older brother.
In 1916, when The Great War begins, Jack volunteers for the army.
In turns funny and sad, the book is a great read for any kid (or adult) who wants to know more about WW1. Longacre, the publisher, has formatted it beautifully: the story contains excerpts from papers, reproduced in their original typesetting, and the letters between the two boys are set out like photographs of real letters. This breaks the text into manageable chunks, making it particularly useful for school reads.
McKay is a tutor in English Literacy, and the syntax of this book is noticeably accessible. I don't know if she did this on purpose, but When Our Jack Went To War is written in a way that allows less able readers to be drawn into the story. It's a great choice especially for boys who want to read a chapter book, but don't feel like sitting down for too long!
I've popped a photo of this book in its natural setting into this blog post: https://rlstedman.com/book-review-jac...
And Jack, by the way, was a real person.
In 1916, when The Great War begins, Jack volunteers for the army.
In turns funny and sad, the book is a great read for any kid (or adult) who wants to know more about WW1. Longacre, the publisher, has formatted it beautifully: the story contains excerpts from papers, reproduced in their original typesetting, and the letters between the two boys are set out like photographs of real letters. This breaks the text into manageable chunks, making it particularly useful for school reads.
McKay is a tutor in English Literacy, and the syntax of this book is noticeably accessible. I don't know if she did this on purpose, but When Our Jack Went To War is written in a way that allows less able readers to be drawn into the story. It's a great choice especially for boys who want to read a chapter book, but don't feel like sitting down for too long!
I've popped a photo of this book in its natural setting into this blog post: https://rlstedman.com/book-review-jac...
And Jack, by the way, was a real person.
September 15, 2013
Tom, his mum and little sister Amy are proud but worried when their older brother and son has to go off to war. They have already lost their husband and father, leaving mum depressed and prone to staring out the window for hours on end.
They’d be lost with Mum’s friend Mrs J from around the corner – who comes in and sorts out the house and gets mum moving again.
Letters begin between 13 yr old Tom and 18 yr old Jack away at Trentham training camp. The letters are light hearted to begin with, giving the reader an insight into 1916 New Zealand childhoods through Tom’s letters, and life as a trainee soldier from Jack.
But as Jack gets closer to the fighting after a trip across the ocean to England and time spent in another camp in France, the letters portray the real horrors of war in the trenches. Lice, rats, hunger and shellshock. Media from the time is a sharp contrast to the truth of Jack’s new existence. Prepare for a harrowing but credible conclusion.
Interspersed with advertisements and newspaper clippings from the time, When our Jack went to War is a fictional but realistic story of NZ’s involvement in the WW1 in 1916. Many families would have followed the same journey Jack’s family did.This book made me cry and brought tears to the eyes of a friend after I told her about it. Even though I was sure I knew what would happen at the end, I was shaking my head... No, no, no...
They’d be lost with Mum’s friend Mrs J from around the corner – who comes in and sorts out the house and gets mum moving again.
Letters begin between 13 yr old Tom and 18 yr old Jack away at Trentham training camp. The letters are light hearted to begin with, giving the reader an insight into 1916 New Zealand childhoods through Tom’s letters, and life as a trainee soldier from Jack.
But as Jack gets closer to the fighting after a trip across the ocean to England and time spent in another camp in France, the letters portray the real horrors of war in the trenches. Lice, rats, hunger and shellshock. Media from the time is a sharp contrast to the truth of Jack’s new existence. Prepare for a harrowing but credible conclusion.
Interspersed with advertisements and newspaper clippings from the time, When our Jack went to War is a fictional but realistic story of NZ’s involvement in the WW1 in 1916. Many families would have followed the same journey Jack’s family did.This book made me cry and brought tears to the eyes of a friend after I told her about it. Even though I was sure I knew what would happen at the end, I was shaking my head... No, no, no...
October 6, 2013
I received this book free via goodreads and that did not in any way impact on my review.
WARNING, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! ever. and certainly not without a box of tissues. THIS BOOK WILL DESTROY YOU AND LEAVE YOU SOBBING ON THE FLOOR WANDERING WHY YOU EVER READ IT! and yes that is a valid reason for reading it, I hope my mum enjoys it as much as I did (cause I left it for her to read - I'm nice like that)
Now, as a general rule I try and avoid books that I know will make me cry - I don't really cope with sad things - but for this beautiful wonderful book I will make an exception. Because it's sooooo well written! I cannot reiterate this enough IT'S WONDERFULLY WRITTEN. It's done in a letter format between two brothers and at no point did I go wait who is writing this BECAUSE YOU COULD CLEARLY READ THE TWO VOICES and that alone would make me worship this book.
But it's more than that, it's the language, and the imagery, and just the shear poignancy of the book. The whole thing fits together in some kind of magic, and it's so short and heart wrenching. I feel I haven't reiterated how sad this book is properly yet...
I think most importantly, this book made me think. It's something that sounds really easy, but clearly isn't. The majority of books I read, I read, I enjoy and I put aside. And a month later I will never think about again. But this book has actually made me think about the impact of the war, something I thought I understood. But I clearly don't. Being British, and having had family who fought, and in some cases died in the 'Great War' I feel like I've understood the impact of the war, and what it did. But looking back, I've only ever thought about the impact in the countries we sat and studied in school, Germany, France, Russia, America, England, Poland, and so on. I never thought, or even considered, the impact for the 'British Empire' and that's pretty horrible. I knew that the 'Empire' fought for us, and in many cases bargained their freedom from British rule from fighting in either the first or second world war, but I have never really understood that. I never sat down and considered the impact that fighting in the wars would have had in their country, to their families, and THAT is what this book really hit home for me. The loss that other countries endured for us, and I think that upset me almost as much as the story in this book. That people lost their loved ones thousands of miles away in a country that had little impact on them, that in many cases they had never been too, for a war that was fought with such great losses, on all sides.
But it really is a great book!
WARNING, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! ever. and certainly not without a box of tissues. THIS BOOK WILL DESTROY YOU AND LEAVE YOU SOBBING ON THE FLOOR WANDERING WHY YOU EVER READ IT! and yes that is a valid reason for reading it, I hope my mum enjoys it as much as I did (cause I left it for her to read - I'm nice like that)
Now, as a general rule I try and avoid books that I know will make me cry - I don't really cope with sad things - but for this beautiful wonderful book I will make an exception. Because it's sooooo well written! I cannot reiterate this enough IT'S WONDERFULLY WRITTEN. It's done in a letter format between two brothers and at no point did I go wait who is writing this BECAUSE YOU COULD CLEARLY READ THE TWO VOICES and that alone would make me worship this book.
But it's more than that, it's the language, and the imagery, and just the shear poignancy of the book. The whole thing fits together in some kind of magic, and it's so short and heart wrenching. I feel I haven't reiterated how sad this book is properly yet...
I think most importantly, this book made me think. It's something that sounds really easy, but clearly isn't. The majority of books I read, I read, I enjoy and I put aside. And a month later I will never think about again. But this book has actually made me think about the impact of the war, something I thought I understood. But I clearly don't. Being British, and having had family who fought, and in some cases died in the 'Great War' I feel like I've understood the impact of the war, and what it did. But looking back, I've only ever thought about the impact in the countries we sat and studied in school, Germany, France, Russia, America, England, Poland, and so on. I never thought, or even considered, the impact for the 'British Empire' and that's pretty horrible. I knew that the 'Empire' fought for us, and in many cases bargained their freedom from British rule from fighting in either the first or second world war, but I have never really understood that. I never sat down and considered the impact that fighting in the wars would have had in their country, to their families, and THAT is what this book really hit home for me. The loss that other countries endured for us, and I think that upset me almost as much as the story in this book. That people lost their loved ones thousands of miles away in a country that had little impact on them, that in many cases they had never been too, for a war that was fought with such great losses, on all sides.
But it really is a great book!
September 24, 2013
My Review
'When our Jack went to War' was a interesting, historical book on love and world war two.
I decided to read this book because Mum recommended it and got it out of the library for me to read. She knew i was interested in the second world war with the Nazis and that and her decisions were thorough. I enjoyed the book immensely. This book also fitted into to one of the last spaces on my bingo board.
The spot this book fitted into on my bingo board was 'A book that teaches you about another time in history.' Because this book was about a man who went to world war two and that's a very important time in history.
My favourite quote from the book was when Jack hid the cake he'd been given under his stretcher.
"Thanks a heap for the tucker mate. I am ashamed to report that the delicious cake came to a sorry end after i hid it under my stretcher. When i got from the route march, a rat had beaten me to it! He'd bitten it all over good and proper."
Bad luck Jack! Hahahaha.
Something knew i learnt from this book was to think about what choices you make in life. Going to war is a big decision. You either come back dead or alive and either way, it's still not easy.
A character i found interesting in this book was Jack. I liked that character a lot. He had such a good sense of humour and was a real optimist. He was loyal to his country and family, and you could tell he was always a man to rely on. He was truly a great soldier.
By: Sophie Tse, 9BVD
'When our Jack went to War' was a interesting, historical book on love and world war two.
I decided to read this book because Mum recommended it and got it out of the library for me to read. She knew i was interested in the second world war with the Nazis and that and her decisions were thorough. I enjoyed the book immensely. This book also fitted into to one of the last spaces on my bingo board.
The spot this book fitted into on my bingo board was 'A book that teaches you about another time in history.' Because this book was about a man who went to world war two and that's a very important time in history.
My favourite quote from the book was when Jack hid the cake he'd been given under his stretcher.
"Thanks a heap for the tucker mate. I am ashamed to report that the delicious cake came to a sorry end after i hid it under my stretcher. When i got from the route march, a rat had beaten me to it! He'd bitten it all over good and proper."
Bad luck Jack! Hahahaha.
Something knew i learnt from this book was to think about what choices you make in life. Going to war is a big decision. You either come back dead or alive and either way, it's still not easy.
A character i found interesting in this book was Jack. I liked that character a lot. He had such a good sense of humour and was a real optimist. He was loyal to his country and family, and you could tell he was always a man to rely on. He was truly a great soldier.
By: Sophie Tse, 9BVD
January 4, 2016
A comprehensive story during war time written as letters sent between two kiwi brothers, one at war and one at home. The letters are interspersed with different text types such as newspaper articles and poetry. I wonder whether the final few letters would have made it through as is, given the censorship of details of attacks.
Concentrating on the viewpoints of characters back home namely Tom, Ma and Mrs J, it covers the usual ideas of the changing opinions on war as injured soldiers return and the published 'roll of honour' grows, the lack of choice soldiers had when it comes to duty, as well as the realisation of death occurring any time and to anyone. Readers realise that Jack could be anyone as highlighted by the helpful statistics recorded at the back of the book. It touches less on the "cowards" left back home, the nurses at war and the high ranking officers' views.
There are lots of opportunities to develop vocabulary around war like 'Blighty', old fashioned vocabulary like "Jeepers!", or to identify imagery like 'boatloads of broken lads'. Equally, there is potential for philosophical discussions like 'Are there any circumstances under which desertion is acceptable?' or 'Is it okay to lie or withhold information in letters addressed to war widows or mothers?'
It could be good to map changing views against the events affecting the McAllister family.
Concentrating on the viewpoints of characters back home namely Tom, Ma and Mrs J, it covers the usual ideas of the changing opinions on war as injured soldiers return and the published 'roll of honour' grows, the lack of choice soldiers had when it comes to duty, as well as the realisation of death occurring any time and to anyone. Readers realise that Jack could be anyone as highlighted by the helpful statistics recorded at the back of the book. It touches less on the "cowards" left back home, the nurses at war and the high ranking officers' views.
There are lots of opportunities to develop vocabulary around war like 'Blighty', old fashioned vocabulary like "Jeepers!", or to identify imagery like 'boatloads of broken lads'. Equally, there is potential for philosophical discussions like 'Are there any circumstances under which desertion is acceptable?' or 'Is it okay to lie or withhold information in letters addressed to war widows or mothers?'
It could be good to map changing views against the events affecting the McAllister family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2013
This will be a great resource for the WW1 centenary in 2014. Mostly written as letters between jack and his young brother at home near Dunedin, interspersed with newspaper reports (from Papers Past?). Well structured and well written, right down to the slang in use at that time - some of which I hadn't heard for years!
October 4, 2013
This book is absolutely amazing, lately it has been taking me a while to get into a book - but 'When Our Jack Went To War' is so emotionally gripping you can't put it down, I won this book from this site and the day I received it the day it was finished. Thank you very much Sandy. I am in the process of sending you back a card!
December 3, 2013
(Yvonne) A fantastic story for young and old which illustrates the tolls of the Great War, both on the boys that were fighting and the famillies that were left at home. The letters between the brothers really draw you in and make the whole thing feel more real, plus the reproductions of actual newspaper clippings give it a more ligitimate air.
May 9, 2014
Touching epistolary form tale of two brothers separated by war, the younger one staying in Dunedin, NZ while the older boy is conscripted into the army, trained and shipped out to England to join the war in the trenches and find himself part of the ANZAC troops fighting at Passchendaele. A moving and effectively told story with a realistic voice
June 28, 2014
I don't know how Sandy McKay did it, but even though I knew the inevitable was going to happen she still made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when it did (I'm not a crier).
Clever structure, great story, will be recommending this to teachers and students.
Clever structure, great story, will be recommending this to teachers and students.
January 2, 2019
Great insight of the time of WW1, both as a soldier and the family at home. Describes details of the horrible conditions and dangers, but in a way that wont leave kids with nightmares. A great read for a younger child when studying war.
Read
March 13, 2015It is a truly touching book it is hard to think that things like that actually happened I don't usually cry but this one had me on the verge of yelling out I used a whole roll of tissues literally!!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews