A triumph, equally accessible to the ten year old and the adult reader

The way a child sees the second world war through the small details of her life is movingly captured in a beautiful first-person story first published in the 70s

An engaging tale with ordinary people made extraordinary by circumstances

A book of quite exceptional distinction...a haunting, convincing story which comes close to being a masterpiece of its kind

The novel is [...] a knockout

John Boyne is clearly unafraid to tackle the big subjects in his fiction for children . . . A good, solid, engaging read

Wonderful . . . One of the best books of the year. An instant classic

Leaves the reader with a greater sense of how war changes people and their communities, and reminds us that sometimes, the ordinary acts of courage that get a child and his family through each day are as valuable, rare and life-changing as any along the front. Alfie inspires us to be more courageous than we’re used to and to do right by others even when the world is tense around us

A beautifully paced and touching tale