What do you think?
Rate this book
I Am Canada
Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942
I Am Canada Adventure. Duty. Danger. Fear. Canada's past comes alive through the eyes of young men caught up in the danger, drama and excitement of defining historical events. Written by some of Canada's finest authors, I Am Canada is a new series that offers riveting action-packed stories sure to engage and inspire young readers. From the creators of the bestselling Dear Canada series, the I Am Canada books will include an images and documents section, map, glossary, historical notes and About the Author pages. The facts are vetted by some of Canada's best historians Prisoner of Dieppe By Hugh Brewster A young soldier's gritty account of "the bloodiest nine hours in Canadian military history"- the tragic Dieppe raid of WWII. Alistair "Allie" Morrison lets his friend Mackie talk him into enlisting for WWII, even though he's only 18. After months of endless training Allie is eager for battle. But his first action is not just any battle . . . it's the disastrous raid on the German-held port of Dieppe. Almost a thousand Canadian soldiers died that day. In the resulting chaotic evacuation, Allie and Mackie are captured as POWs and sent to Stalag VIIIB in Germany. Still shell-shocked from their fighting, the soldiers struggle to maintain their courage; and some, like Mackie, are determined to plot an escape and outwit their captors, at any cost.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
6 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Brewster
24 books32 followersBeing able to create books about history is a dream job for me since I’ve always been enthralled by history. When I was growing up in Georgetown, Ontario, our house was just around the corner from the town library. And I haunted its children’s section—reading sometimes four or five books a week. Historical fiction titles by writers like Geoffrey Trease and Rosemary Sutcliffe were particular favourites. I still treasure a copy of Ernest Thompson Seton’s Two Little Savages that I was given as a prize in a library reading contest in 1960.
Since ours was the only house in the neighbourhoood without a TV antenna on the roof, reading was my primary form of entertainment. My parents thought their four children would read more without a television to distract us. And they were right, we did — though we also showed up at our friends’ houses whenever our favourite shows were on!
Our family had moved to Georgetown from a small town in Scotland in 1956, when I was six years old. When I was thirteen we moved to Guelph, Ontario, and I went to high school and university there. My first real job after graduating with an English degree in 1971 was with Scholastic – then a fairly new publishing company in Canada. As an editor for Scholastic Inc. from 1972 to 1984 in both Toronto and New York, I was involved in the creation of Scholastic’s Canadian children’s publishing program as well as in the selecting of books for Scholastic’s school book clubs. (One of our early discoveries was the teenaged author Gordon Korman and his Bruno and Boots books.)
Between 1984 and 2004 I was the Editorial Director and Publisher of Madison Press Books in Toronto. While there, I helped to create a number of successful books for both adults and young readers including Robert Ballard’s The Discovery the Titanic, that has sold over 1.5 million copies, and TITANIC: An Illustrated History a book that provided inspiration for James Cameron’s epic movie. Among the award-winning children’s books that I edited and compiled are: Polar the Titanic Bear, On Board the Titanic, First to Fly, and Journey to Ellis Island.
The first children’s book that I actually both wrote and compiled was Anastasia’s Album: The Last Tsar’s Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story, which was published in 1996 and won a number of awards. In 1997 I wrote the text for Inside the Titanic, which featured amazing cutaway illustrations by Ken Marschall. The next year, with Laurie Coulter, I compiled a book filled with fascinating facts about the Titanic entitled 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic. Laurie and I went on to write To Be A Princess in 2001 which was a Silver Birch and Red Cedar nominee. In 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, I wrote On Juno Beach which won the Children’s Literature of Canada Information Book Award in 2005. The success of that book encouraged me to write At Vimy Ridge which appeared in 2007 and won the Norma Fleck Award in 2008.
In 2005, I decided to devote myself to writing full-time and have produced seven books since then: The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint George published Fall 2006; Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose: The Story of a Painting and Breakout Dinosaurs. DIEPPE: Canada’s Darkest Day of World War II was released in 2009 and was followed by the novel Prisoner of Dieppe in Scholastic’s new I Am Canada series. A second novel, Deadly Voyage appeared in Fall ’11 and for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, I produced a large adult book entitled Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage in Spring 2012.
Since ours was the only house in the neighbourhoood without a TV antenna on the roof, reading was my primary form of entertainment. My parents thought their four children would read more without a television to distract us. And they were right, we did — though we also showed up at our friends’ houses whenever our favourite shows were on!
Our family had moved to Georgetown from a small town in Scotland in 1956, when I was six years old. When I was thirteen we moved to Guelph, Ontario, and I went to high school and university there. My first real job after graduating with an English degree in 1971 was with Scholastic – then a fairly new publishing company in Canada. As an editor for Scholastic Inc. from 1972 to 1984 in both Toronto and New York, I was involved in the creation of Scholastic’s Canadian children’s publishing program as well as in the selecting of books for Scholastic’s school book clubs. (One of our early discoveries was the teenaged author Gordon Korman and his Bruno and Boots books.)
Between 1984 and 2004 I was the Editorial Director and Publisher of Madison Press Books in Toronto. While there, I helped to create a number of successful books for both adults and young readers including Robert Ballard’s The Discovery the Titanic, that has sold over 1.5 million copies, and TITANIC: An Illustrated History a book that provided inspiration for James Cameron’s epic movie. Among the award-winning children’s books that I edited and compiled are: Polar the Titanic Bear, On Board the Titanic, First to Fly, and Journey to Ellis Island.
The first children’s book that I actually both wrote and compiled was Anastasia’s Album: The Last Tsar’s Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story, which was published in 1996 and won a number of awards. In 1997 I wrote the text for Inside the Titanic, which featured amazing cutaway illustrations by Ken Marschall. The next year, with Laurie Coulter, I compiled a book filled with fascinating facts about the Titanic entitled 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic. Laurie and I went on to write To Be A Princess in 2001 which was a Silver Birch and Red Cedar nominee. In 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, I wrote On Juno Beach which won the Children’s Literature of Canada Information Book Award in 2005. The success of that book encouraged me to write At Vimy Ridge which appeared in 2007 and won the Norma Fleck Award in 2008.
In 2005, I decided to devote myself to writing full-time and have produced seven books since then: The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint George published Fall 2006; Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose: The Story of a Painting and Breakout Dinosaurs. DIEPPE: Canada’s Darkest Day of World War II was released in 2009 and was followed by the novel Prisoner of Dieppe in Scholastic’s new I Am Canada series. A second novel, Deadly Voyage appeared in Fall ’11 and for the 100th anniversary of the Titanic, I produced a large adult book entitled Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage in Spring 2012.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 18, 2012
I had the pleasure of meeting Hugh Brewster in person before I read any of his books and he is as entertaining in person as his books are. In this juvenile series, Mr. Brewster writes an entertaining story based on real facts and he doesn't sugar coat it for his young readers. This is a very enjoyable series and if you ever have the opportunity to attend one of his talks in person, don't miss it. You won't be disappointed!
Read
October 22, 2013This book prisoner of the dieppe by hugh genre fiction caught my eye cause I have always been in to war stuff specially story's that follow people not books about facts. I like the way it's in chapters but I like it when it's like a journal entry what happened every day I just find to be so nice.
Hugh Brewsters way of writing is nice the way he describes the pain and the emotions of the characters. He makes u feel like your there.
Hugh Brewsters way of writing is nice the way he describes the pain and the emotions of the characters. He makes u feel like your there.
August 28, 2015
This book opened my eyes to the horrors behind the wire. I remember hearing stories of what it was like when I was a little girl at Remembrance Day services at our little school in the country. How thousands of Canadians paid an awful price... reading this book brought it more to light. Humbled by the sacrifices so many made.
December 22, 2014
I loved reading this book. I always had an interested in disaster and war history. I find most of these history style books to be difficult to read adding in the personal account (while semi fictional) had just enough of the element to interest me and I successfully read this book.
November 1, 2011
it is great
December 1, 2019
Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II (I Am Canada) is about Alistair "Allie" Morrison and how he let his friend Mackie talk him into enlisting for WWII, even though he's only 18. After months of endless training, Allie is eager for battle. This story is told from the perspective of Alistair Morrison and his experience of fighting in WWII for Canada. I can't relate to Alistair because of reasons I am sure you can guess but I can relate to his family waiting for him to come home. Their fear, patience, etc. because my father is in the military and he goes away a lot. I recommend this book to people who like history, non-fiction and to people who aren't sensitive to the topic of wars.
May 25, 2018
The prelude to the battle added some depth to the characters. Seeing the little tricks and tools the prisoners came up with to cope with their situation and eventually escape was neat.
Read
February 7, 2012Nine years after the inception of its girl-targeted Dear Canada series, Scholastic Canada has created a literary ‘little brother.’ I Am Canada books are intended to introduce boys to exciting moments in our history through intimate fictional first-person accounts created by well-known authors. Like the original series, each book includes maps, historical photos and documents, a glossary and authors’ notes. Judging by the first two exciting books of the I Am Canada series, the writers’ instructions may have been “create a personable, every-boy narrator who observes great danger and death, learns about the value of friends and family, and is not yet overly focussed on the opposite sex.”
In Blood and Iron, the young narrator witnesses “iron madness” — the building of the railroad in British Columbia in 1882 and the high number of accidents and deaths among labourers brought from China. Lee Heen-gwong hopes to help his indebted family. But money seems impossible to earn with the company charging high fees for everything from socks to food, and his father running up gambling debts. Heen’s diaries express how he is sometimes frustrated and depressed, and other times just glad to be alive and sound of body.
This book is not the triumphant The Last Spike recounting of Eurocentric glory, but an often melancholy view inside the dark tunnels of railroad history, powerful in its frankness. Veteran author Paul Yee brings Heen’s valuable fictional story to a young reader’s point of view. Blood and Iron augments Yee’s list of such unforgettable stories about the lives of immigrants and Canadian-born people of Chinese origins in titles such as Ghost Train and Dead Man’s Gold and Other Stories.
After reading another book, Prisoner of Dieppe, I am convinced that, despite his boyish good looks, Hugh Brewster must have been overseas in WWII. Brewster certainly did not, of course, witness the war first hand, but for this and his other book on the topic (Dieppe: Canada’s Darkest Day of WWII) he has researched extensively and talked to people who survived Prisoner of War (POW) camps. Readers follow the reminiscences of Alistair Morrison who writes to his grandson, coming clean about what happened when he and his best friend were behind barbed wire and how Mackie really died. Included are little known facts that readers will never forget, such as how POWs cleaned themselves without toilet paper or any paper whatsoever, even with bound wrists. As a historian, I have read many books about WWII, but Prisoner of Dieppe made the war experience real for me in a unique way.
After a highly enjoyable read of the first two books in the series, it’s easy to predict that children (boys and girls) can look forward to some terrific reading material in Scholastic’s I Am Canada series.
Canadian Children's Book News (Fall 2010, Vol. 33, No. 4)
In Blood and Iron, the young narrator witnesses “iron madness” — the building of the railroad in British Columbia in 1882 and the high number of accidents and deaths among labourers brought from China. Lee Heen-gwong hopes to help his indebted family. But money seems impossible to earn with the company charging high fees for everything from socks to food, and his father running up gambling debts. Heen’s diaries express how he is sometimes frustrated and depressed, and other times just glad to be alive and sound of body.
This book is not the triumphant The Last Spike recounting of Eurocentric glory, but an often melancholy view inside the dark tunnels of railroad history, powerful in its frankness. Veteran author Paul Yee brings Heen’s valuable fictional story to a young reader’s point of view. Blood and Iron augments Yee’s list of such unforgettable stories about the lives of immigrants and Canadian-born people of Chinese origins in titles such as Ghost Train and Dead Man’s Gold and Other Stories.
After reading another book, Prisoner of Dieppe, I am convinced that, despite his boyish good looks, Hugh Brewster must have been overseas in WWII. Brewster certainly did not, of course, witness the war first hand, but for this and his other book on the topic (Dieppe: Canada’s Darkest Day of WWII) he has researched extensively and talked to people who survived Prisoner of War (POW) camps. Readers follow the reminiscences of Alistair Morrison who writes to his grandson, coming clean about what happened when he and his best friend were behind barbed wire and how Mackie really died. Included are little known facts that readers will never forget, such as how POWs cleaned themselves without toilet paper or any paper whatsoever, even with bound wrists. As a historian, I have read many books about WWII, but Prisoner of Dieppe made the war experience real for me in a unique way.
After a highly enjoyable read of the first two books in the series, it’s easy to predict that children (boys and girls) can look forward to some terrific reading material in Scholastic’s I Am Canada series.
Canadian Children's Book News (Fall 2010, Vol. 33, No. 4)
February 14, 2014
In most pieces of historical fiction, I can comment on the accuracy of the novel. This is mostly because I read historical fiction in places I know about, like ancient Egypt or Rome. I am not, nor have ever been, an expert on WWII history. My father is the family expert on all things 20th century. That’s why I can’t and won’t comment on historical accuracy, but judging by the fact that Hugh Brewster actually had an historian look over it for accuracy, I can say it’s probably pretty accurate. The ‘I Am Canada’ diary series is also pretty reputable in terms of historical accuracy, so one can safely assume it’s accurate.
The best part of Prisoner of Dieppe is that Hugh Brewster uses the character of Alistair to explain the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. You really feel like you’re there during the war and you can understand why so many young men signed up, even going so far as to lie about their ages to do so. The agony of war is also portrayed very well; you truly feel like you’re there on the beach with Alistair. True, this is targeted at younger teens, but there are times when I found myself quite teary, something highly unusual for me. The horrors of the German POW camp are terrible, but nothing very surprising for me as I’ve read a lot about the Bataan Death March and the subsequent treatment of the prisoners. However, if your teen is sensitive, this is not the book for them!
Prisoner of Dieppe is one of those few ‘diary’ novels that was written for male readers, which is also a bonus. Yes, men do keep diaries (most call them ‘journals’) and I think boys will be glad to have a male perspective delivered from a male writer. It also has a fast-paced plot for historical fiction, so this is a great book to give your teen if they aren’t a big reader. Believe me, they will love Prisoner of Dieppe.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads rating purposes.
The best part of Prisoner of Dieppe is that Hugh Brewster uses the character of Alistair to explain the zeitgeist, the spirit of the times. You really feel like you’re there during the war and you can understand why so many young men signed up, even going so far as to lie about their ages to do so. The agony of war is also portrayed very well; you truly feel like you’re there on the beach with Alistair. True, this is targeted at younger teens, but there are times when I found myself quite teary, something highly unusual for me. The horrors of the German POW camp are terrible, but nothing very surprising for me as I’ve read a lot about the Bataan Death March and the subsequent treatment of the prisoners. However, if your teen is sensitive, this is not the book for them!
Prisoner of Dieppe is one of those few ‘diary’ novels that was written for male readers, which is also a bonus. Yes, men do keep diaries (most call them ‘journals’) and I think boys will be glad to have a male perspective delivered from a male writer. It also has a fast-paced plot for historical fiction, so this is a great book to give your teen if they aren’t a big reader. Believe me, they will love Prisoner of Dieppe.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads rating purposes.
January 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: I'm reading the books in this series.
This is Hugh Brewster's second book in the series and once again he breaks form by writing in chapters rather than in journal format. He also sets his story up again as an elderly person writing back about their experiences, in the first person, rather than an as-they-happen-format as we are used to in the Dear Canada series and the first book I read in this series. I do prefer the epistolary format but Brewster is a formidable writer and this novel is excellent.
Set up as a grandfather finally setting down in words what happened to him in the war from his training, his part in the failed Canadian attack on Dieppe, and his subsequent time as a POW at the hands of the Germans. He's writing this solely for the eyes of his grandson, who has an interest in history and who is now also the age he was when he went to war.
Brewster has written non-fiction books on the topic and extensively interviewed veterans who survived Dieppe so while his story and main characters are fictional, the events and information are based on truth and actual happenings. He has also included a host of true life characters as he explains in the note at the back. I'm recommending this book for older readers (12+) than the others of this series as it deals with the war experience realistically and is intense while also including some harrowing moments. The book is not overly graphic but some descriptions are certainly not for the young or the squeamish and the main characters are at least in their late teens. A compelling, fast-paced, dramatic and sobering story of the heroism and defeat of war. Recommended!
This is Hugh Brewster's second book in the series and once again he breaks form by writing in chapters rather than in journal format. He also sets his story up again as an elderly person writing back about their experiences, in the first person, rather than an as-they-happen-format as we are used to in the Dear Canada series and the first book I read in this series. I do prefer the epistolary format but Brewster is a formidable writer and this novel is excellent.
Set up as a grandfather finally setting down in words what happened to him in the war from his training, his part in the failed Canadian attack on Dieppe, and his subsequent time as a POW at the hands of the Germans. He's writing this solely for the eyes of his grandson, who has an interest in history and who is now also the age he was when he went to war.
Brewster has written non-fiction books on the topic and extensively interviewed veterans who survived Dieppe so while his story and main characters are fictional, the events and information are based on truth and actual happenings. He has also included a host of true life characters as he explains in the note at the back. I'm recommending this book for older readers (12+) than the others of this series as it deals with the war experience realistically and is intense while also including some harrowing moments. The book is not overly graphic but some descriptions are certainly not for the young or the squeamish and the main characters are at least in their late teens. A compelling, fast-paced, dramatic and sobering story of the heroism and defeat of war. Recommended!
December 22, 2023
I officially have high hopes for the books that Hugh Brewster wrote. For starters, Alistair is a nice character who didn't want to exactly become a soldier, it was Mackie who told him they should join and they both did. Although they only become prisoners half way through the book, the story is well executed. I felt bad for the boys and everybody else considering how they became prisoners and saw many people die. I liked how the story explained in detail how building the tunnel to escape, it made me feel bad for everyone that became a prisoner. At the end of chapter 14 when Alistair wrote that Mackie had died I was confused and sad because I liked Mackie's character. The epilogue does explain what happend fortunately but it was a sad read. I liked how the book ended on a sad note because the truth is, many soldiers and families lost the people they loved during WW2 and many other wars, so it made the book feel more realistic. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you're interested in knowing how it was like for the prisoners of Dieppe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2011
“What would you do to survive in a Nazi discipline camp?” The book is about a 15 year old boy who goes into war with his best friend Mackie. When they get to the war zone they get captured and brought to the Nazi camp and get held prisoner. My favourite part of the book is when Mackie and his friend dig a tunnel out of the Nazi camp. It reminds me of when I dug a tunnel in the snow for the first time. I saw Mackie running back red faced. I recommend this book to anyone who likes true books about world war two. I don’t recommend this book to anyone under the age of seven. I rate this book four stars. The book is called Prisoner of Dieppe by Hugh Brewster.
November 11, 2013
Prisoner of Dieppe was also one of the best book I've read. It was so interesting that OI finished in a day or so. It was so interesting. I recommended this book to my Sister and I said that she wasn't really interested but she will try to read this and when I told her that if she like the book or not, she said she loved it. Rating of this book would be 8/10. I hope you guys will enjoy this book too
April 6, 2012
It was pretty good, and focused on a part of WW2 that doesn't get mentioned far as much as other aspects.
December 8, 2012
Prisoner of Dieppe is a great read and a history lesson all in one! Hugh Brewster really did an amazing job with this book and I really felt like I was living in the book. Great read!
July 18, 2013
Me and my dad loves this series. I had introduced it to him after I found out about dear Canada. With are both history freaks who enjoyed it greatly!
April 7, 2016
Iz gud
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews