A Rose for the Anzac Boys

Description

War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen-year-old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge’s brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as ‘missing’ in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli .

Desperate to do their bit – and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society – Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over-stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined.

And when the war is over, all three girls – and their Anzac boys – discover that even going ‘home’ can be both strange and wonderful.?Exhaustively researched but written with the lightest of touches, this is Jackie French at her very best.

Shortlisted – 2009 ABIA Awards.

Honour book –2009 CBCA Book of the Year Awards (Younger Readers).

Suitable for: Older children (13+ years).

Details: Children’s book (fiction), published 2018.

Format: Soft cover, 304 pages.

Dimensions:19.8 cm (h) x 12.8 cm (w) x 1.9 cm (d) / 206 grams.