Battlefield

by Alan Tucker

Barry Blacker is obsessed with being a soldier. He is desperate to join the army like his older brother Jack, who is in a Japanese POW camp. In the meantime he practises drills on the family farm in Cowra, and spies on the Japanese prisoners in the camp nearby. When some of the prisoners escape, Barry's attempt to be a hero has devastating consequences. A moving, thought-provoking and vividly told novel, based on a true story.
Borders Synopsis

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

One for the older primary student, or committed reader. It takes a bit to stick with this book but it is worth it for the finish. Set during WWII in Australia, war is glorified and to be a soldier an admirable aspiration. As farm children guns and shooting is a natural skill to learn, along with self-reliance. Barry takes in as much of the conversation from his father, a returned POW from WWI and his elder sister's sweetheart a training officer in the nearby military camp. Much of what Barry knows of war he has gleaned from these conversations. But the real horror of war is never spoken about.
War is not to be glorified and no one is the winner in a conflict and 14 year old Barry finds this for himself when he meets an escaped and frightened Japanese POW on his rural property. The return of his shattered elder brother who has been a prisioner in a Japanese POW camp in Burma at the end of the war shatters the expectations that he will be the same as he left is another lesson for Barry.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm, I'm not wildly enthusiastic about this one. It's the story of a farm boy in Cowra who's obsessed with going to war to rescue his brother who's a POW captured by the Japanese. There are too many scenes involving learning to shoot guns for my taste, (ho-hum) and it's a bit repetitive which makes it overlong.
The message, which seems a bit banal, is that the Japanese POW who escapes from Cowra turns out to be a nice guy and that soldiers are not just the enemy, they are also people. Tucker skates over the brutal treatment of Australian POWs by the Japanese, presenting some atrocities as rumours not confirmed, and noting only that Jack is 'not the same' when he gets home from 'Burma'.
Well, I wouldn't want 10-14 year-olds knowing too much about what happened but this is a bit too sanitised.

[Hannah Adelaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

I despise war. Yet I read this novel with an open mind. It was well edited but the story was very slow in becoming interesting. I didn't care for or agree with Barry. from the information given, Barry was very stupid for a boy his age. A good book for one to read if contemplating becoming a soldier or one who is racist.

[Brooke (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battlefield is an enticing read.