Shortlisted for the 2013 Leeds Book Awards Elinor Nielson, a 19-year-old British army medic, is led into a dangerous intrigue surrounding a mysterious young Afghan girl. What she discovers makes her question everything she believes about love and war.
Barry Cunningham, MD of publisher Chicken House, on Torn:
This thrilling, war-torn drama, told through the eyes of a nineteen-year-old female British army medic, brings to life the war in Afghanistan – and the perils and challenges facing our young soldiers. It’s both moving and fantastically compelling – from the joys of comradeship to the terror of enemy attack and the ultimate victory of love, understanding and compassion.
Teenage medic Ellie stumbles upon an apparent military cover-up, and is guided towards the truth by a gang of orphaned Afghan children and a startling girl who seems to appear only in the heat of battle. But it’s Ellie’s growing feelings for a young American officer that makes her understand the importance of her chosen career, as she realises she must put aside her own feelings for something far more important.
David Massey’s debut novel is life-affirming. Modern and sympathetic, it will grab the hearts and minds of young adult readers everywhere.
A Review by Katy Poulter, age 12
Torn is a very interesting book which leaves you with a lot of questions that don't necessarily need answering as they spark your imagination and make you think. I knew from the beginning that there was something strange about Aroush and I like the way that the author leaves her character very open to personal interpretation but at the same time I get a really clear yet slightly haunting image of her in my mind. The story was good but the ending was left extremely open so the book wasn't properly resolved. I liked how they all had quirky nicknames like Yugi and Gizmo that showed something about them and made them memorable.
Katy Poulter is a member of the Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel but she has reviewed this novel in the first instance for the Leeds Book Award as it is one of the 2013 shortlisted titles. The organisers have kindly agreed to let us also make use of Katy's review.
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