And then there are a small minority of books that take hold of your mind or your heart (or both) and simply refuse to let go.

In common with most of the heroes of my books for younger readers, Alfie Summerfield in Stay is honest, good-hearted, optimistic and a passionate reader. Our features are original articles from our print magazines (these will say where they were originally published) or original articles commissioned for this site. Quédense en… es una promesa, una gran promesa sobre una historia conmovedora que te hará llorar hasta el hartazgo por las desgracias que pasa el niño.

I must admit I was never a huge fan of boy in the striped pyjamas as I found it too simplistic and I was concerned that this book would be the same for me considering the main character is so young. It's a world where conscientious objectors – conchies – are treated terribly and attitudes are negative towards the suffragettes. These books about World War I will offer young readers a range of different perspectives on the conflict, ranging from picture books to teen novels there's something here for everyone. Alfie lives with his parents, Georgie and Margie, in the house in which he was born; lives across the street from his grandmother; and has a best friend named Kalena Janacek who also lives in his neighborhood and who is determined to one day, become the Prime Minister of England. Alfie cumple cinco años el mismo día que el Imperio Austro-Húngaro le declara la guerra a Serbia y empieza oficialmente la Primera Guerra Mundial.

As the war goes on, Alfie takes responsibility, secretly supplementing the family income and carrying out a mission to find out what has happened to his father. And where those at home experience extreme poverty and whole families are deported to work camps because of their ethnicity, despite having lived in England all of their lives. However, the listed ingredients were entirely fictional, being taken from the 2017 videogame The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and included items such as the "silent princess" flower, "octorok eyeballs", and "the tail of the red lizalfos". Despite the heavy themes surrounding World War I this children's book is surprisingly light in tone.

Of course, although he’s been forced to take on more responsibility due to the war effort, he is only a child, and he doesn’t fully understand all that is happening. The Absolutist and Stay Where You Are And Then Leave form two parts of what I hope will one day be a trilogy of novels relating to the Great War; just as my next children's novel – which is currently on a second draft – will complete a trilogy of war stories, after The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Stay, featuring young people at their centre. This is a compelling story, beautifully observed, which covers difficult themes such as shellshock and loss in a sensitive and understanding way. Alfie fears that is father is actually dead and while shining shoes at King’s Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father’s name on papers belonging to a military doctor.