Heroes (Most Wanted) by Anne Perry

Heroes (Most Wanted) by Anne Perry
Buy Heroes (Most Wanted) by Anne Perry at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Dyslexia Friendly
Reviewer: Margaret Young
Summary: Short but gripping tale of murder in the trenches.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 66	Date: August 2007
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1842995105
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Trench warfare has widely been acknowledged as one of the most soul destroying forms of combat. It broke men physically and mentally. Death seemed inevitable for many, and life was so horrible that at times it must have come as release. So what is one more death among the multitudes? To Chaplain Joseph Reavely every death counts, but he can not let this one go. Morton was not killed by enemy fire - he was murdered and Joseph will not rest until justice is done. It sounds pretty straight forward, but there is far more to it than this and justice is truly poetic in this case.

This is a truly exceptional book. Anne Perry transports the reader to the trenches of Belgium and gives the reader a real insight into the horror experienced by these men. One can almost imagine the smells, the mud, unwashed bodies and smell of gunpowder. The story takes place mostly in darkness and there is an oppressive quality to this. You can easily imagine the sounds of gunfire, the flashes of light and the overall feeling of terror. There is never a dull moment in Heroes, and for a such a short story, the characters are brought to life perfectly. I would point out though that this is an exceptionally short story. The book is 66 pages in total, but the story is only 48 pages. The remainder of the book is a preview chapter of Barrington Stoke's Dead Brigade by James Lovegrove. I have removed 1/2 star on my rating because I felt an 18 page preview was just a bit too much for a book of this size, but the story itself is without a doubt a 5 star offering.

Barrington Stoke is best known for their unique line of dyslexia friendly books for children. These books follow all of the guidelines of the British Dyslexia Association for dyslexia-friendly text. Working with a team of experts in the field, Barrington Stoke have developed their own font which is especially designed to make reading as easy as possible for children with dyslexia. They also print all of their books on a thick, off white, non-glare paper to minimise distractions which can make reading more difficult. The print is large and double spaced, with short chapters and short stories created to build confidence. The stories are commissioned by Barrington Stoke, usually from very well known authors, and are written to appeal to older children, but at a much lower reading level than the interest level. Heroes is part of a less well known line from Barrington Stoke - Most Wanted. These books are very similar to Barrington Stoke's books for teens, but they are written to appeal to adults. This book has an interest age of adult and a reading age of eight. This book does have violence and death, as well as some of the horror of trench warfare, but I feel it could appeal to much younger children as well. I think this book would be ideal for teens or even younger children, as well as for adults. I absolutely loved this book, but my children (ages 4 and 8) enjoyed it as well. I feel this would be ideal for children studying the First World War or for adults who enjoy short stories.

If this book appeals then you might also enjoy:

Dead Brigade by James Lovegrove

Betrayal at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry

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