Jacko Moran: Trench Fighter

Moran Family #1

by Ken Catran

Adventure story for young adult readers set during the First World War. Before the war, Jacko Moran was a street fighter living in the slums, but his initiation into the destruction of warfare causes him to grow up very quickly. As he gets older he reflects on war and his development from boy soldier to sniper hero.

235 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Ken Catran is a children's novelist and television screenwriter from New Zealand. He is the author of many teen novels, including Taken at the Flood, Voyage with Jason, Doomfire on Venus, Space Wolf, Talking to Blue and its sequel Blue Murder. He is perhaps best known for his Deepwater trilogy series

Reviews

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacko is the 17-year-old son of an alcoholic father who couldn’t care less about Jacko or his younger brother, George. Though a ‘boy soldier’, Jacko takes his streetwise skills into World War I and finds fame amongst the terrible mud and destruction. He becomes the sniper who the Germans fear as ‘Death Hound’. Beautifully written in a spare, direct style yet one where you feel complete empathy for the protagonist – Jacko Moran. Readers who enjoy this will also enjoy ‘Private Peaceful’ by Michael Morpurgo; ‘When we were Two’ by Robert Newton; ‘The Silver Donkey’ by Sonya Hartnett; and so many more.