Tag: Stephen Dando-Collins

Tank Boys by Stephen Dando-Collins

‘Where the heck are we?’ Frankie’s voice was muffled by the walls of earth on either side of them.

‘Flanders,’ answered Private Nash, the young soldier trudging along the narrow communication trench in front of Frankie, as the Australian troops moved in single fileup to the front line in darkness.

‘I know we’re in Flanders! Where in Flanders?’

‘Near Messines.’

‘Yeah, but where near Messines?’

‘How should I know? Do I look like an officer or something? Only officers know where they are in this war. Anyway, what’s it matter, Pickles?’

Frankie shrugged. ‘I was just curious, that’s all. I’d like to know where I’m about to die.’

‘Where the heck are we?’ Frankie’s voice was muffled by the walls of earth on either side of them.

‘Flanders,’ answered Private Nash, the young soldier trudging along the narrow communication trench in front of Frankie, as the Australian troops moved in single fileup to the front line in darkness.

‘I know we’re in Flanders! Where in Flanders?’

‘Near Messines.’

‘Yeah, but where near Messines?’

‘How should I know? Do I look like an officer or something? Only officers know where they are in this war. Anyway, what’s it matter, Pickles?’

Frankie shrugged. ‘I was just curious, that’s all. I’d like to know where I’m about to die.’

Frankie and Taz are both sixteen-years-old Australians who lie about their age to be accepted into the Australian Army. Their reasons for enlisting are different but the two are united by their youth. Richard is also sixteen-years-old and in the army, but he’s on the opposite side. War is nothing like the adventure the Australian boys imagined when they signed up and nothing has prepared Richard either. The three boys are destined to meet on the battlefields in France, around Villers-Bretoneux, amid the horror and destruction of war. Tank Boys is the story of one of the most well-known battles of WWII from the perspective of three youth and explores the personalities and the politics of both sides of the battle. Although fiction, Tank Boys is based on real tanks, and real battles.

Tank Boys explores the realities of war. It is not gratuitously graphic but neither does it shy away from the deaths and injuries suffered by soldiers of both sides. It offers a range of different personalities and explores the myriad reasons men fight wars. On one level ‘Tank Boys’ is a ‘Boys Own’-type adventure full of action and adventure, but it also provides many opportunities for discussion about war. There are enough details for readers to be able to ‘walk the trenches’ with the characters, and to learn about the different hardware each side used. As the centenary of the beginning of WWI draws closer, it’s not surprising that there are stories about war being published for young people. From our vantage point, stories that have long been locked up are finding their way into the public consciousness and providing perspectives that were not always evident in earlier times (for many reasons). These stories help us to understand our past and shape our future. Recommended for upper-primary readers.

Tank Boys, Stephen Dando-Collins Random House Australia 2014 ISBN:9780857981301

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Caesar The War Dog: Operation Blue Dragon by Stephen Dando-Collins

In the golden glow of dawn, an Australian Army Black Hawk helicopter swept in low over Sydney Harbour. Below, ferries, water taxis, speedboats and yachts were already out on the water, leaving foaming white trails behind them. Inside the helicopter’s passenger compartment, Sergeant Ben Fulton of the Special Operations Engineer Regiment (SOER) sat in full combat rig of bulletproof vest, camouflage jacket and trousers. A holstered Browning Hi Power 9 mm automatic pistol was strapped low on his right thigh, and a rappelling harness covered his torso. Leather combat gloves moulded to his hands so precisely they were like a second skin. On the belt around his waist were a full water canteen, a sheathed combat knife, spare Browning magazines and two pouches – the larger one empty, the smaller one containing dog biscuits.

In the golden glow of dawn, an Australian Army Black Hawk helicopter swept in low over Sydney Harbour. Below, ferries, water taxis, speedboats and yachts were already out on the water, leaving foaming white trails behind them. Inside the helicopter’s passenger compartment, Sergeant Ben Fulton of the Special Operations Engineer Regiment (SOER) sat in full combat rig of bulletproof vest, camouflage jacket and trousers. A holstered Browning Hi Power 9 mm automatic pistol was strapped low on his right thigh, and a rappelling harness covered his torso. Leather combat gloves moulded to his hands so precisely they were like a second skin. On the belt around his waist were a full water canteen, a sheathed combat knife, spare Browning magazines and two pouches – the larger one empty, the smaller one containing dog biscuits.

Ben Fulton and his EDD (explosives detection dog) Caesar are back in a new adventure. Operation Blue Dragon opens with a sweep of the Sydney Opera House in preparation for the arrival of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General. Ben and Caesar discover a bomb and afterwards enjoy an event at Government House. There they meet the UN Secretary General who two weeks later is taken hostage by the Taliban. Ben and Caesar are part of a team assembled to rescue the UN Secretary General and his staff. Time is of the essence as is secrecy. Back in Sydney Ben’s son Josh is experiencing challenges of his own at school, where a bully seems to have fixed on him. Josh doesn’t want to worry his father at his work, but he’s at a loss to know just what to do.

Operation Blue Dragon: 2 combines the action and high drama of elite forces in Afghanistan with the real life dramas faced by families of soldiers. There are multiple storylines for readers to follow. There’s Josh’s bully dramas; Sergeant Ben Fulton’s work; friend Charlie’s recuperation from double amputation and return to the job he loves and the family’s adjustment to the loss of Josh’s mother to cancer. There are detailed explanations of equipment, manoeuvres and acronyms. Dog-lovers will appreciate the intelligence and judgement displayed by Caesar. Along the way, readers discover both the people and the landscape of Afghanistan and about the ongoing challenges of that war. There are also explanations of the role of the UN and the structure of some of the organisations that link with the UN. Violence is acknowledged but the details are not dwelt on. This is an ideal story for action-loving boys who want to know all about the army and special forces.

 

Caesar the War Dog: Operation Blue Dragon, Stephen Dando-Collins

Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857980533

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookshops or online.