Otto and Michael are brothers. Otto’s favourite thing is a tin helmet with a bullet hole in it. He wears it everywhere as a child, teasing his staunchly pacifist brother that the hole was the soldier’s death.

As they grow, Otto becomes an historian, trying to explain why wars are sometimes necessary, whereas Michael still strictly opposes it. When Michael is told their history class is to travel to the battlefields of WWI in Belgium, he doesn’t want to go. His class is also asked to research and try to find something about a relative or friend who was in the First World war.

Otto and Michael have never thought to ask before, but soon learn the origins of the tin helmet. It belonged to their great, great grandfather. A journal is discovered in the bottom of a basket in their attic and they all begin to read about their ancestor.

A sombre tale of a family learning about their past, and the wastes of war. Full of colour illustrations, this novella is perfect for Year 6-9 student studies on WWI.

Author – Michael Morpurgo

Age – 8+

(War, Pacifist, History, WWI, World War I, Siblings, Childhood, Read Aloud)