Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Captivating tale of soldier's boy in World War I London.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Alfie Summerfield is exactly 5 years old when the World War I breaks out. His life in London seemed pretty normal up until then: His dad worked as a milkman, his mom took care of Alfie and the house. But when his father signs up for the army, everything changes. Alfie stops going to school regularly, his mom works days and nights, he doesn't have much to eat, his closest friend is taken to an internment camp. As the war drags on, Alfie is certain he'll never see his dad again. Many men in their neighborhood have died in the war, after all. But then Alfie learns a secret that compels him to take action, and he's never the same again.
Is It Any Good?
STAY WHERE YOU ARE & THEN LEAVE is a successful historical novel because it's an engaging story. John Boyne, author of the book-turned-film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, takes another look at wartime life as seen through the eyes of a boy. This time, the sights, smells, sounds of London in 1914 unwrap in a lovely fashion until war breaks out. Readers will be able relate to Alfie's fear as his father gears up to be shipped overseas to dig trenches and fight in a war that everyone claims "will be over by Christmas." What's not clear is how many Christmases it will take before the war ends, and the sense of dread and suffering is palpable, but not crushing, as Boyne tells it.
Kids will enjoy hearing the trains shudder and groan as they pull into the station and will worry about the wounded soldiers and struggling women. Though it draws the reader into a vivid world with plenty of dramatic tension, the novel wraps things up a little too neatly. Conflicts are magically resolved; points of view are switched for no apparent reason, and what was credible becomes a little unlikely. But, the anti-war message retains its power, and Boyne has proven that he can re-create history in a really captivating manner.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it would be like to live in a country at war. How would it feel to not know if your loved ones will return? How has war changed since Alfie's time?
How does Stay Where You Are & Then Leave compare with other war stories you've read or seen in movies?
What damage does a spy do? When is it an excuse to discriminate against a people? Why are the Janaceks considered spies?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Oliver Jeffers
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Henry Holt & Company, Inc.
- Publication date : March 25, 2014
- Number of pages : 245
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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