| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Sophie-Ann Leyland (Age 13) in The Historical Novels Review, May 02
...certainly the best war book I have ever read. It describes things very well and has a good story line.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Carnegie Medal Winner.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
this is quite possibly on of the best books i have ever read! Westall is an excellent writer and this book shows that he is a master story teller. the detail is extraordinary, the story line deep and intruiging and the characters are a stroke of pure genius. Chas Mcgill , the main character, is incredibly realistic and one which many can relate with. Chas' quest for war souveniers leads him to discover a German machine gun. He sets up a dugout with the machine gun planted in it. Here he helps defend Garmouth from bombing raids. This novel is an excellent example of Westall's fine story telling talent and is a book for all ages, as we see children not only enjoying themselves but being independant and seperated from the adult world.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was one of my favourite books as a child. I read and re-read my copy until the covers fell off, and even after reading it so many times I never failed to be thrilled by the story, excited and tense, even knowing the ending.
Chas McGill is a young boy growing up during the bombing raids of WW2. Like all young boys his age he is fascinated by the planes and plays imaginary war games with his gang. One day Chas discovers an extraordinary thing that turns his games into a reality and not only allows him to 'do his bit', but also makes him question what war is actually all about.
Westall wrote another book about Chas, Fathom Five, and although it is good, this for me will always be Westall's standout book. He also made Chas the subject of short stories, 'The Haunting of Chas McGill', which if you enjoy this, and I can't imagine that you won't, you will surely want to read to know what happens to Chas.
Westall also compiled a fascinating book in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum called 'Children of the Blitz'. He wrote The Machine Gunners mostly using his imagination, but when it became popular found that he was receiving letters from people who had grown up in the war who had had real life experiences like Chas'. Intrigued, he did some more research, and this book is a collection of first hand accounts of such episodes, which is fascinating and highly readable.
Chas McGill is a young boy growing up during the bombing raids of WW2. Like all young boys his age he is fascinated by the planes and plays imaginary war games with his gang. One day Chas discovers an extraordinary thing that turns his games into a reality and not only allows him to 'do his bit', but also makes him question what war is actually all about.
Westall wrote another book about Chas, Fathom Five, and although it is good, this for me will always be Westall's standout book. He also made Chas the subject of short stories, 'The Haunting of Chas McGill', which if you enjoy this, and I can't imagine that you won't, you will surely want to read to know what happens to Chas.
Westall also compiled a fascinating book in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum called 'Children of the Blitz'. He wrote The Machine Gunners mostly using his imagination, but when it became popular found that he was receiving letters from people who had grown up in the war who had had real life experiences like Chas'. Intrigued, he did some more research, and this book is a collection of first hand accounts of such episodes, which is fascinating and highly readable.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is totally captivating. With the Nazi aircrafts raining bombs on the town of Garmouth every night, there are many war souvenirs like bullet casings and nose cones of aircrafts. However, Chas Mc Gill finds a working machine guns that he extracts from a fallen aircraft with live bullets. This is a stunning tale of survival during war times packed with irresistable adventures. Chas and his friends build a secret fortress to fight the Germans and they have many interesting and smashing encounters along the way. They take care of a kind Nazi soldier, help their orphaned friend and have barrage balloons falling on them.The writing is superb throughout and the pace is sustained very well. Although there are some obscenities, I feel it adds realism and life to the story. The ending is poignant and extremely touching. I rate this as one of the best books that I have ever read.A fascinating and smashing read! I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent definitely one for the boys.
This was the first book i ever really read.
When i was at school i was always steered towards Carrie's War, which i always found as boring as hell. Read more
When i was at school i was always steered towards Carrie's War, which i always found as boring as hell. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dennis Watts
A favourite book, a favourite author.
I've read this book numerous times, so very enjoyable. Robert Westall is one of my favourite authors...I'm so sad that's he's died and there won't be any more books... Read more
Published 3 months ago by JanBird&DebMeades
great book
Brilliant book. I got it for Christmas; it looked very boring and boyish but when I started reading it it got me hooked. Read more
Published 5 months ago by big reader Lolo
Probably the best book I have read to my children
Really enjoyed reading this to my children (9&11) over New Year - they could not get enough of it and we had some wonderful times discussing the characters and thinking about what... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. M. L. James
deep story, great book- RECOMMENDED-
The machine gunners book review:
Robert Westall has set this book during the blitz in World War two in Garmouth, a heavily bombed area, focusing on the character Chas... Read more
Robert Westall has set this book during the blitz in World War two in Garmouth, a heavily bombed area, focusing on the character Chas... Read more
Published 13 months ago by yoyomagic
Top Book
A great story. My favourite character was Rudy. And Carrot Juice. I read it with my father, and he liked it too.
Published 19 months ago
Machine Gunners
A fantastic read. I read this book at school when I was around 11 years old and remembered it as one of my favorite books of the time. Read more
Published 21 months ago by megawolf
Childhood Classic
I read this once as a child and thoroughly enjoyed it. Having lost the book over time i've recently purchased it again and i'm as happy with it as i was then.
Published on 31 May 2010 by James Carroll
great story
read this as a kid & was totally swept away by it! gripping & light hearted too! fantastic book! i bought it for my 10yr old son & he loves it too!
Published on 22 Jan 2010 by Ms. Tamara Dennis
My Favourite Book Of All Time
A book so wonderful that, 30 years on, I can still recall the entire plot, the names of many of the fascinating characters, as well as several of the key scenes (in particular at... Read more
Published on 22 July 2008 by Mike Ryko
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
