Changes

|title=Five Children on the Western Front

|author=Kate Saunders

|publisher=Faber & Faber

|date=October 2014

|summary=Heartbreaking sequel to a timeless classic, which somehow improves on the original. Absolutely stunning, massively recommended.

}}

Nearly ten years after Squirrel, Panther, Bobs and Puss last saw the Psammead, the sand fairy returns. But the world is in a state of upheaval, and with the now grown-up children contributing to the war effort, it's left to The Lamb, a teenager, and new arrival 9-year-old Edie to look after their visitor and save him from prying eyes. In addition to the horrors of the war, there are revelations for the six siblings about their old companion's past - why has he returned, and is there a reason he can't grant wishes any longer?

Will it work for readers unfamiliar with the first books? I think it will (although I'd still suggest tracking them down to read first; they're still in print and have held up wonderfully well for their age.) Whether or not you know the older story, you won't be confused as Saunders gets the necessary information across quickly without ever feeling like she's dumping information onto the reader, and you'd need a heart of stone not to be moved. I cried for the first time on page 9 (that's before chapter one even starts!); the last line of the prologue is one of the most heartbreaking things I've read in ages.

The other wonderful World War One story I've read recently is the outstanding [[Valentine Joe by Rebecca Stevens]]. Fans of thought-provoking and deeply moving children's fiction will also surely love [[Girl With A White Dog by Anne Booth]].