Interesting and exciting. I couldnt stop reading!
Owen is a boy who really cares for a stone soldier in a local memorial garden. Then he finds out that the garden is changing and the soldier is going to be crushed. Owen is determined to save the soldier!
My favourite bit was what Owen did to save the soldier. I can't say what that was as I don't want to spoil the story! But it made me feel so happy and excited because Owen was so brave and confident. This book was really interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. I also liked this book because of how they explained the memorial garden. My great grandad was hurt in the War and I think it's really important to remember everyone who fought and died in the Wars.
Will Owen be able to convince the council to keep the statue in the park? This book is an easy read for anyone aged six and over who likes soldiers and doing bench flips.
This story starts off as a secret. Owen talks to a stone soldier after his Dad dies but he doesn’t want anyone to know. I found the beginning a bit boring, particularly the school lessons(!) but when the threat of the soldier leaving happens, I wanted to keep reading till the end. Will Owen be able to convince the council to keep the statue in the park? This book is an easy read for anyone aged six and over who likes soldiers and doing bench flips.
A clever and interesting book for fans of history, and those with worries
Owen and the Soldier is not my usual style of book, but I found it clever and interesting. I liked that I could relate to the story and I could relate to Owen.
In the story, Owen meets a stone statue of a soldier and he becomes like an imaginary friend for Owen. Owen's parents don't have time for him, but the soldier is someone Owen can chat to about his worries. Owen even looks after the statue, cleaning it after an incident with a pigeon. The local council wants to bulldoze the statue but Owen manages to save it.
My favourite part is when Owen opens up to the statue for the first time. I would recommend this book to any history fans and to anyone with worries.
I really enjoyed this story. It is truly beautiful and it is nice that Owen faced his fears for the soldier. It has an emotional message that I will never forget.
I loved the book when Owen tried to save the stone soldier. It was a bit sad at times but it was a lovely book. It was well-described, and tense - I did not expect any of it. - Harry
I found it a bit emotional when he was reading a poem about his dad and that's when we found out a bit more about him and his mum. It was upsetting when we found out that the soldier was being removed. Thank you for giving us this book. - Chloe
I really, really liked this book because it's sad and then happy and I loved Owen's poem. Please carry on writing fabulous books. - Shane
I was waiting for a book like this and it came to me in the face; I just couldn't stop reading it. I loved the soldier because I thought it was Owen's dad. - Leon
I really liked it because it was a bright story and I really liked it when Owen read his poem.
Owen and the Soldier is a heart-warming story with a good balance of love, bravery and always believing the best.
It will stay in your Heart forever. - Zuzanna.
I felt so emotional!
I loved this book because, at the beginning, it was really calm and gradually through the book, it got more exciting and intense in the middle when we found out about the soldier being removed. When I heard Owen's poem, I felt so emotional; I felt so sad when Owen couldn't see the soldier and my heart just dropped when he said his dad never returned from the war. But I am so glad he found the soldier in the end. I loved it when they fixed up the soldier; I was so emotional but I'm glad that it had a happy ending.
A lovely book which explores love, loss and remembrance very sensitively. A great short class read and a welcome addition to the Barringstoke Stoke range.
Owen and the Soldier is a very touching and sweet book. Owen is a lost soul, an emotionally sensitive boy whose home life is collapsing due to his mother's depression and the recent loss of his father. School is an ordeal where well-meaning teachers try to draw him out of his shell and encourage him to engage more in classroom life. The only respite he finds is talking to a stone statue of a WW1 soldier in the local park. He is forced however to speak out when the statue is threatened by an ill-advised park redevelopment (how the local council is funding this is a mystery!). This is a sweet and sensitive book which ties together the themes of loss, love and remembrance. Written simply but packing an emotional punch. A great book for sparking creative work on WW1 and other wars. It would also work well as a short classroom read. As with all Barrington Stoke books, which are written usually for struggling readers who may have a low reading age, it is a piece of high quality fiction which doesn't sacrifice story quality just because it is aimed at less able readers.
The best book I've read
This book is deeply told and written. Owen's soldier farther dies fighting in Syria and Owen has only his mum left they are just managing. Owen and the Soldier is a great book. It has cliffhangers at the end of chapters which makes you want to read more. Owen is a lovely boy who meets a stone soldier wich represents the soldiers and his dad in the war. Close to the end something occurs wich Owen has to fix. Personally it is the best book I've read. I'd say this is a 7+ read great for people who also want a well-written story. Owen finds it hard to read or even talk in front of people but in the story he does somehting extraordinary I read this book in about 4 days because it was so good I could not stop reading it.