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Summary
As the title suggests, Archie’s War is presented as the scrapbook of Archie Albright, who lives in England and starts the scrapbook in 1914 when he is 10 years old. Designed to look like a child’s scrapbook with illustrations in colored pencil and collage, the inside pages of Archie’s War include newspaper clippings, letters and Archie’s drawings, including his timeline of the war. There is a lot of humor in both Archie’s drawings and his words.
Archie’s War: My Scrapbook of the First World War, 1914-1918 is an excellent work of historical fiction. Through words and illustrations author and illustrator Marcia Williams provides young readers with insight as to what the years of World War I were like for a child living in England. I recommend the book for 8 to 12 year olds.
The Contents and Format
Archie’s War: My Scrapbook of the First World War, 1914-1918 makes World War I come alive for young readers as they look at and read this extraordinary scrapbook. The scrapbook, given to Archie by his Uncle Colin on his tenth birthday, becomes his illustrated account of his life in East London, England through the war years.
From its beginning Archie’s War looks like a child’s scrapbook. The textured cover with the printed word “Scrapbook” on it also includes Archie’s additions to make it “Archie’s War, My Scrapbook of the The First World War, 1914-1918.” The cover also includes a photo of Archie dressed as a soldier and his hand printed caption “By me Archie Albright, aged 10 years.”
The endpapers at the beginning of the scrapbook contains a letter from Archie, who writes that even though it’s at the beginning of the scrapbook, it’s his last entry, written there because it’s the only page left in the scrapbook. The letter, written when Archie is 15 years old, provides both an introduction to the scrapbook and Archie’s views on life in London’s East End before the war and during the war. He writes, “They said the war would be over in a few weeks. But it wasn’t. Instead, thousands joined up to fight in the trenches and thousands never came back.”
Despite the tenor of his letter, Archie’s War is more a story of the joy of daily activities with family and friends and how they became affected, over time by the loss of loved ones and other effects of war rather than a story designed to give young readers nightmares. There’s a lot of fun and humor in the book, in both Archie’s accounts and in his illustrations.
The scrapbook also reflects Archie’s growing maturity as he moves from the excitement of all of the changes to the loss of lives of loved ones and other effects, like food shortages, of World War I.
Marcia Williams’s illustrations are wonderful. While remaining true to Archie’s age and interests over the years, she has created a scrapbook that provides a story through sequential art as is done in graphic novels, has included comic panels and all kinds of headlines, clippings and even a few historic photos, as well as letters and postcards from soldier family members, all of which, along with the text, make an unforgettable impression on the reader.
Awards and Recognition
- Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Author and Illustrator Marcia Williams
While she is British-born, Marcia Williams’ stepfather was a diplomat and she, her mother, a writer, and her stepfather lived in a number of different locations during her childhood, including Canton, Hong Kong, Nigeria and the Middle East. Williams received her education in Sussex, England, and in Switzerland where she attended boarding school. It was while she was at boarding school that Williams began her life as an artist, regularly sending illustrated letters to her parents. After working at several jobs, Marcia Williams studied watercolor at Richmond College in London.
Williams has written and illustrated a great many children’s books. A few of her more recent books include: Lizzy Bennet’s Diary, The Romans: Gods, Emperors and Dormice and Ancient Egypt – Tales of Gods and Pharaohs. Williams is particularly well known for her retellings of classic works, including her Tales from Shakespeare and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
(Sources: Marcia Williams’ website, Walker: Marcia Williams, Candlewick Press: Marcia Williams)
My Recommendation
One of the things I particularly like about Archie’s War is how Marcia Williams is able to present the horrors of war in the context of a specific child’s life in a way that young readers can understand and appreciate. Without being overly dramatic or directly showing, in words or pictures, the violence of war, she presents World War I in a way appropriate for a younger audience without sugarcoating its impact in lives lost, hardship and waste.
Archie’s War: My Scrapbook of the First World War, 1914-1918 is an excellent book for 8 to 12 years olds (grades 3-7). Because of the format, it should be particularly appealing to reluctant readers and visual learners. (Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780763635329)
Related Resources:
- All About DK Eyewitness World War I – Read my book review of this nonfiction children’s book.
Background Information for Adults from About.com:
Additional Educational Resources for Children and Teachers
- What Was Family Life Like in England During World War I? (Schools: World War One BBC) and related Teachers’ Notes.
- How Did Children Help the War Effort? (Schools: World War One BBC) and related Teachers’ Notes.
- WW I Education Resources for Teachers (The Great War: World War I, 1914-1919)
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