The Great War cover

The Great War

by Jim Kay

This is a moving anthology of stories inspired by objects from the First World War, illustrated by Jim Kay. The Great War is a powerful collection of stories by bestselling authors, each inspired by a different object from the First World War. From a soldier's writing case to the nose of a Zeppelin bomb, each object illuminates an aspect of life during the war, and each story reminds us of the millions of individual lives that were changed forever by the four years of fighting. This remarkable book is illustrated by the Kate Greenaway Medal-winning Jim Kay. It features new work from: AL Kennedy; Tracy Chevalier; Michael Morpurgo; David Almond; Marcus Sedgwick; Adele Geras; Ursula Dubosarsky; John Boyne; Timothee de Fombelle; Sheena Wilkinson; and, Tanya Lee Stone. It is a truly unique and thought-provoking anthology. Gripping stories by some of the world's leading writers will bring the First World War alive for children. Jim Kay won the Kate Greenaway Medal for A Monster Calls, and was recently chosen by J.K. Rowling to illustrate the new full-colour editions of the Harry Potter series. Photographs of the objects which inspired each story will feature in the book. It is published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?