Reviews

The Silver Sword by John Escott, Ian Serraillier

maimona's review against another edition

2.0

I didnt enjoyed it that much,I think the plot lack alot of things its just too simple !!!

mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition

5.0

Finished reading this with Charlie, who read some chapters himself (took it out and about with him and couldn't put it down) and some together at bedtime. He loved the characters, I rediscovered the atmosphere of flight, resourcefulness and the kindness of strangers, and Charlie learned a lot of history! He is truly round eyed and horrified at some of the events and consequences of WWII (the most serious of which I've held back, obviously, because he's still only eight years old) - and he's right - what people lived through was shocking. This book has a wonderful faith in humanity and I think that's a huge part of its appeal.

miacasey16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

aidanleeo7's review

slow-paced

3.25

krobart's review

2.0

Serraillier's book is a beloved children's classic from post-World War II about four Polish children who escape from Warsaw to try to find their parents. Although I loved it as a child, it does not have as much to interest adults. Serraillier's focus was on reconciliation among all the countries involved in the war, so it does not paint the ordinary people of any country in a bad light.

See my complete review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-silver-sword/

echo86's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

thisisstephenbetts's review

I read this when I was about 10, as I played Joseph in the Windsor Arts Club Junior Drama production. Apart from 2 or 3 bits, I didn't remember most of the events in the story. It's interesting in that so much of the book takes place after the end of the war - it shows the allied occupation, and how the different countries managed their sectors (I don't want to overplay this though - it's interesting, but it isn't one of the major parts of the book).

The structure of the book is quite interesting - it feels like a bunch of vignettes, rather than having an overarching narrative. You could drop one of the sections, without it significantly affecting the narrative. Still, it is a fascinating story, very evocative of the broken Europe left after World War 2.

norwayellesea's review

5.0

One of my most favourite books as a child.

coinchantal's review

4.0

Great true adventure story. Heartwarming and easy to read. The only thing that bothered me was that he chapters didn't flow into each other.

jmkemp's review against another edition

4.0

I read this many times as a small boy at primary school, from about the age of 8. It sparked my interest in personal stories of war and history.