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Captain
A moving wartime adventure about a boy and his donkey from the author of Soldier Dog. Perfect for Morpurgo fans
It's 1915 and British troops are about to sail to Gallipoli. Billy is the youngest soldier in his platoon and is teased for not being old enough to drink or shave. The truth is, at 15 he's not old enough to be a soldier either, and he's terrified of the war he's about to fight. Then he meets Captain, a refugee boy, and his donkey, Hey-ho. Together they teach Billy what it means to be brave, loyal and fearless, and above all what it means to be a friend.
It's 1915 and British troops are about to sail to Gallipoli. Billy is the youngest soldier in his platoon and is teased for not being old enough to drink or shave. The truth is, at 15 he's not old enough to be a soldier either, and he's terrified of the war he's about to fight. Then he meets Captain, a refugee boy, and his donkey, Hey-ho. Together they teach Billy what it means to be brave, loyal and fearless, and above all what it means to be a friend.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2014
3 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Sam Angus
8 books48 followersSam Angus is a bestselling and award-winning author of historical adventure novels for children of nine and over. Her novels, required reading for schools across the United Kingdom, deal lightly with some of the bleakest moments of British and Colonial history. Her books include Soldier Dog, Captain, A Horse Called Hero, The House on Hummingbird Island and School for Skylarks.
Sam Angus was born in Italy, and grew up in France, and spent much of her childhood moving from home to home and country to country, but most of her early childhood was spent in Franco's Spain. She went to more than ten different schools and was the naughtiest girl in all of them. She then went on to read English at Trinity College Cambridge, where she secretly kept a dog in her college rooms. After Cambridge she went to Central St Martins to study fashion then taught A Level English Literature for many years, before becoming a full-time writer. She lives between London and Exmoor and has five children, several horses and a handsome, stubborn West Highland terrier.
Sam Angus's books have been longlisted and shortlisted several times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Soldier Dog was longlisted in 2013, Captain in 2015 and The House on Hummingbird Island for 2017. She has also won or been shortlisted for many local and national awards including the North East Book Award, The Sussex Coast Amazing Book Award, the East Lothian Libraries’ Lennox Author Award, the James Reckitt Children’s Book Award, the Hillingdon Book of the Year, and the Bath and Somerset Centurion Award, amongst others, the Cheshire Book Award.
Sam Angus was born in Italy, and grew up in France, and spent much of her childhood moving from home to home and country to country, but most of her early childhood was spent in Franco's Spain. She went to more than ten different schools and was the naughtiest girl in all of them. She then went on to read English at Trinity College Cambridge, where she secretly kept a dog in her college rooms. After Cambridge she went to Central St Martins to study fashion then taught A Level English Literature for many years, before becoming a full-time writer. She lives between London and Exmoor and has five children, several horses and a handsome, stubborn West Highland terrier.
Sam Angus's books have been longlisted and shortlisted several times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Soldier Dog was longlisted in 2013, Captain in 2015 and The House on Hummingbird Island for 2017. She has also won or been shortlisted for many local and national awards including the North East Book Award, The Sussex Coast Amazing Book Award, the East Lothian Libraries’ Lennox Author Award, the James Reckitt Children’s Book Award, the Hillingdon Book of the Year, and the Bath and Somerset Centurion Award, amongst others, the Cheshire Book Award.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 21, 2018
T/W- Animal Death
The story of a young boy called Billy who signs up to fight for the British army in the First World War despite his age of fifteen and having to lie. He is scared to kill and be on the home front. But the day when he meets a young boy called Captain and his donkey Hey-Ho changes his perspective and really opens up the unique story of friendship. Historical Fiction is one of my favourite genres to read so seeing this at my local library one day gave me the opportunity to travel back in time. I found the pacing to be fast and the settings of the battlefields to be realistic. The things that sadly hampered my enjoyment of the novel were the scenes of animal death which were difficult to read at times since some of the description was graphic. I personally thought as well that this book is definitely more suited for younger readers (14+) due to the age of the main character.
The story of a young boy called Billy who signs up to fight for the British army in the First World War despite his age of fifteen and having to lie. He is scared to kill and be on the home front. But the day when he meets a young boy called Captain and his donkey Hey-Ho changes his perspective and really opens up the unique story of friendship. Historical Fiction is one of my favourite genres to read so seeing this at my local library one day gave me the opportunity to travel back in time. I found the pacing to be fast and the settings of the battlefields to be realistic. The things that sadly hampered my enjoyment of the novel were the scenes of animal death which were difficult to read at times since some of the description was graphic. I personally thought as well that this book is definitely more suited for younger readers (14+) due to the age of the main character.
November 13, 2024
BRING HEY-HO BACK, BRING HEY-HO BACK! HEY-HO!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2019
Captain by Sam Angus is an excellent novel on the boy recruits of WWI. Captain, a young boy who isn't an official recruit and his donkey Hey-Ho add emotion and character to a story that is filled with the hardships of war. The book is recommended for a fifth through eighth grade audience. I recommend this great example of historical fiction.
"Hey-Ho had the mournful ancient eyes of all his species, but he was in some ways more donkey than any other. His cans clanked more merrily that those of any other, his bray was louder than any other, his ears somehow sweeter and sadder than any other. He was the quintessence of donkey, all the donkeys of all the centuries distilled in that one little Hey-Ho." (pp. 66-67)
"Dawn fingered her way over the ridge and met a scene of cruel desolation." (p. 67)
"I would stay with them, whatever happened. We'd lived together in the crannies of this barren rock, raked by the same heat, the same cold, the same thirst and hunger and illness. Together we'd snatched our food, our water, from the jaws of death. Wherever we went, we'd go together, two boys in a world of men." (p. 89)
"He stretched out an arm towards the northern end of the bay, but didn't turn his head in that direction. Very slowly I turned mine and looked. Gradually I made out dark mounds, row after row of them, the dark blood of them staining the shingle and running down into the water. I reeled-their throats slit-cut with a knife so they'd die in silence-Hey Ho? No, no, no, surely not-his throat slit?-No-No, not that , not his throat, not Hey-Ho, nor. . ." (p. 98)
"The boat slipped through the starry sea, the moon broke through the clouds and smiled and it seemed that we were moving away into a better world. I saw Hey-Ho's four neat hoofs braced against the boards, the tips of his ears silvered in the moonshine, his long head towards the open sea." (p. 102)
"We were armed once again with our swords, and our mounts were fresh and fit. I grew reckless and wild, taunting death, firing and riding with the best of them. Each gun rattle drummed an accusation in my ears till they might bleed with guilt. I could feel the hot, whistling breath of bullets on my skin, but each skimmed by me and it seemed none could touch me. It seemed my life had a sinister, grinning charm." (p. 201)
"Hey-Ho had the mournful ancient eyes of all his species, but he was in some ways more donkey than any other. His cans clanked more merrily that those of any other, his bray was louder than any other, his ears somehow sweeter and sadder than any other. He was the quintessence of donkey, all the donkeys of all the centuries distilled in that one little Hey-Ho." (pp. 66-67)
"Dawn fingered her way over the ridge and met a scene of cruel desolation." (p. 67)
"I would stay with them, whatever happened. We'd lived together in the crannies of this barren rock, raked by the same heat, the same cold, the same thirst and hunger and illness. Together we'd snatched our food, our water, from the jaws of death. Wherever we went, we'd go together, two boys in a world of men." (p. 89)
"He stretched out an arm towards the northern end of the bay, but didn't turn his head in that direction. Very slowly I turned mine and looked. Gradually I made out dark mounds, row after row of them, the dark blood of them staining the shingle and running down into the water. I reeled-their throats slit-cut with a knife so they'd die in silence-Hey Ho? No, no, no, surely not-his throat slit?-No-No, not that , not his throat, not Hey-Ho, nor. . ." (p. 98)
"The boat slipped through the starry sea, the moon broke through the clouds and smiled and it seemed that we were moving away into a better world. I saw Hey-Ho's four neat hoofs braced against the boards, the tips of his ears silvered in the moonshine, his long head towards the open sea." (p. 102)
"We were armed once again with our swords, and our mounts were fresh and fit. I grew reckless and wild, taunting death, firing and riding with the best of them. Each gun rattle drummed an accusation in my ears till they might bleed with guilt. I could feel the hot, whistling breath of bullets on my skin, but each skimmed by me and it seemed none could touch me. It seemed my life had a sinister, grinning charm." (p. 201)
May 27, 2020
This one was a 3.5 for me, and as was the case with the author's other two books, Soldier Dog and A Horse Called Hero, animals feature strongly in this war story. While I understood the significance of some of the opening scenes and the compression of time as the narrator moved through various battles and missions during WWI, there were parts of the book that seemed incredibly, almost painfully, detailed, and others that didn't contain much detail. The plot centers around fifteen-year-old Billy Bayliss, who has enlisted in order to help the British war effort. Beginning in August 1915 and concluding in the fall of 1918, this historical fiction title follows Billy as he desperately tries to prove himself to his fellow soldiers, who tease him because he is too young to drink or shave. When he meets Captain, a refugee who helps the troops, and his beloved donkey, Hey-Ho, he finds a lifelong friend. But Billy is nowhere near as loyal or forgiving as Captain is, and he betrays his friend more than once as the troops move from one place to another, first in Gallipoli and later in Damascus. The battle scenes are emotionally wrenching, sure to make pacifists out of many young readers as they note the fears that assailed Billy as he faced death on a daily basis, and how deeply the war changed him. There are several passages near the end of the book that reveal just how little the Billy described there resembles that innocent boy introduced at the start of the book. The daily struggles over small pieces of land, the scrabbling through desert terrain, and the deep thirst of the men and their animals, including horses and camels, are not easy to read; nor is the cruelty displayed toward animals at various points. Although starting the book was slow for me, my heart broke at several points once I moved past those initial pages. Once again, a book demonstrates the high price and pointlessness of war and victory, even for a just cause. I wish the author had fleshed out Captain a bit more. I wanted to know more about this particular young man.
March 22, 2022
[May contain spoilers]
“He went wherever Captain led, through storms of sand, storms of shrapnel, on he went at his master’s side, Captain his alpha and his omega.”
This book made me cry, made me want to put it down and have a breather...but it was too gripping and I had to keep reading. It wasn't, perhaps, on the same level as an Emma Carroll historical fiction book but it still pulled on the heartstrings. So much so that I had to have a day of not reading anything (new or old) to process the ending, to process the fact that Captain survived...but Hey Ho didn't. There were bits that made me laugh too (like the fact that Captain believed donkeys in England went hey ho not hee haw. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something quick but heart wrenching.
“He went wherever Captain led, through storms of sand, storms of shrapnel, on he went at his master’s side, Captain his alpha and his omega.”
This book made me cry, made me want to put it down and have a breather...but it was too gripping and I had to keep reading. It wasn't, perhaps, on the same level as an Emma Carroll historical fiction book but it still pulled on the heartstrings. So much so that I had to have a day of not reading anything (new or old) to process the ending, to process the fact that Captain survived...but Hey Ho didn't. There were bits that made me laugh too (like the fact that Captain believed donkeys in England went hey ho not hee haw. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something quick but heart wrenching.
May 25, 2017
Underage Billy Bayless narrates this detailed account of fighting in the Gallipoli campaign. He is only 15 but grows up quickly over the book's span: 1915 to 1919. Angus does not shy away from gruesome and terrifying descriptions of war and the battlefields, the horrific thirst and terrible sun of the deserts, and readers may find the level of detail somewhat challenging to follow. Billy meets Captain, a young boy, and his beloved donkey, Hey-Ho, and their friendship and steadfastness are what gets Billy through the trials of battle fatigue and the traumas of war. Sketchily drawn characters seem to be incidental to the historical details and for this reason the book feels too old for its audience. Still, a unique subject. I enjoyed Horse Called Hero much more. Upper teen, adult.
Read
July 22, 2024DNF so not going to give it a star rating. I thought from the charming cover that it was going to be a Marguerite Henry-esque children's story, but it's not. It's a very graphic war story, and not written in a way that makes me want to dive into that sort of mess.
Going back to the Little Free Library where I found it.
Going back to the Little Free Library where I found it.
November 16, 2017
Young Adult novel - WW1 - told in voice of young British boy, who went to war at age 15. Title character Captain is an even younger orphaned refugee boy and his stalwart donkey Hey-ho.
Mostly sad, but with bittersweet ending.
Mostly sad, but with bittersweet ending.
April 23, 2020
Underage Billy Bayliss goes from Britain to the horrors of WWI, meeting refugee Captain and his donkey Hey-Ho. Quite a harrowing read, the first conflict being Gallipoli.
July 26, 2020
Very emotional book
June 21, 2023
Worst book I have ever read. Should have been interesting but instead was agonizing and made math seem preferable.
April 26, 2025
I cried a lot. And I learnt a lot about the sequence of events in the Great War.
September 12, 2017
Fifteen is too young to drink, too young to shave, and definitely too young to be in the army. But Billy lied about his age so that he could join. It is 1915 and his regiment is preparing to sail to Gallipoli, destined to become the location of one of the bloodiest battles fought in WWI. Terrified of the looming battle and isolated because of his age, Billy is pleased to meet Captain, a young refugee boy, and his donkey, Hey-ho. They become fast friends. Throughout the many horrific battles and dull days, Captain and Hey-ho are always there for Billy. Through them, he learns the true meaning of friendship.
This title’s theme is focused on friendship, loyalty, and gives a nod to the animals that served faithfully alongside their masters during the war. While the writing is tight, gritty, and poignant, very little historical context of the battles is provided. Angus does not shy away from depicting the bleakness or horrors of war. A good choice for more mature readers and fans of Michael Morpurgo.
This title’s theme is focused on friendship, loyalty, and gives a nod to the animals that served faithfully alongside their masters during the war. While the writing is tight, gritty, and poignant, very little historical context of the battles is provided. Angus does not shy away from depicting the bleakness or horrors of war. A good choice for more mature readers and fans of Michael Morpurgo.
November 22, 2015
It is set a year after the start of world war one and is a story about a young boy (Billy Bayliss), who joins the army even though he is underage. From Alexandria his journey takes him to set sail and take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. In the story he meets a refugee boy, Captain, (who is a year younger than him) and his donkey Hey-ho.
I read this for the Hampshire book awards and it was not one of my favourite books. For starters I thought the cover of the book could have had a better design. When I first saw the cover it reminded me of a Michael Morpurgo book as its image was in a similar design, however, the story was very different from the sort of stories Michael Morpurgo writes, so I found this quite off putting. Also, from the cover I would never have worked out that it was a war story and it is only when you look very closely that you can see the very small images of tanks and aeroplanes but at first glance they are very difficult to make out.
I found the book reasonably easy to read, but felt it dragged on at some points, because of this I started reading another book at the same time and had difficulty getting back into Captain. However, when I eventually got into reading the book I couldn't put it down!! I thought the description was really well done especially the sky and land where the fighting took place (my favourite was when he sees the sky with the fires in the distance). At some points the sentences didn't make sense because the story is told by the main character narrating it to a nurse. I thought this was clever but it meant it wasn't easy reading and I had to go over some sentences a few times.
At the start I felt sorry for Billy Bayliss (the main character) because everyone teased him and he had no friends in his regiment. I also really liked Captain as he was kind to everyone and always looked out for Billy. As time went on I started to dislike Billy more and more because as his popularity grew with other people in his regiment, he pushed Captain to the side lines. This didn't seem to affect the way Captain behaved and made me admire him even more as he was still always there for Billy.
Overall I would not recommend this book because I have read other novels with similar story lines which I have found much more interesting. I would however highlight this book to anyone who likes reading about war especially as it is really good at painting a picture of what the conditions were really like during the World War One.
I read this for the Hampshire book awards and it was not one of my favourite books. For starters I thought the cover of the book could have had a better design. When I first saw the cover it reminded me of a Michael Morpurgo book as its image was in a similar design, however, the story was very different from the sort of stories Michael Morpurgo writes, so I found this quite off putting. Also, from the cover I would never have worked out that it was a war story and it is only when you look very closely that you can see the very small images of tanks and aeroplanes but at first glance they are very difficult to make out.
I found the book reasonably easy to read, but felt it dragged on at some points, because of this I started reading another book at the same time and had difficulty getting back into Captain. However, when I eventually got into reading the book I couldn't put it down!! I thought the description was really well done especially the sky and land where the fighting took place (my favourite was when he sees the sky with the fires in the distance). At some points the sentences didn't make sense because the story is told by the main character narrating it to a nurse. I thought this was clever but it meant it wasn't easy reading and I had to go over some sentences a few times.
At the start I felt sorry for Billy Bayliss (the main character) because everyone teased him and he had no friends in his regiment. I also really liked Captain as he was kind to everyone and always looked out for Billy. As time went on I started to dislike Billy more and more because as his popularity grew with other people in his regiment, he pushed Captain to the side lines. This didn't seem to affect the way Captain behaved and made me admire him even more as he was still always there for Billy.
Overall I would not recommend this book because I have read other novels with similar story lines which I have found much more interesting. I would however highlight this book to anyone who likes reading about war especially as it is really good at painting a picture of what the conditions were really like during the World War One.
January 10, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Fascinating story of a little known history. The young reader in my family (age 11) had a bit of trouble holding the story together in her mind, but was proud to get to the end and give a book report to her class. Opened a whole new world to her. Not the pabulum so often written for tweens. A story of friendship and hardship. Challenging on many levels.
September 19, 2014
Exquisite!
Want to read
October 7, 2016I received a copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews