"We were all just desperate men who wanted to be home for Christmas with the ones we loved; our hearts torn between the duty to our country and the warmth and shelter of our families." The wartime correspondence between a son and his father during the Great War. As 1914 draws to a close, William's letters are full of hope. Well they said the war would be over by Christmas, didn't they? Helpful questions for discussion and First World War research ideas included.

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. James frequently needs to escape, to walk the streets of his local village and lose himself in his thoughts. James isn't finding his final year at primary school easy, and he wishes he had a brain that allowed him to chat and laugh like his classmates. Having spent his life avoiding trouble, it now seems to follow him wherever he goes. When he stumbles into Mrs Samuel in the churchyard one autumn day, nothing is the same again. For Mrs Samuel, the present is a blur but the past shines clearly in her mind. Her tales about the village's history bring the past to life and ignite something deep within James Without realising it, Mrs Samuel helps turn James's world from black and white to colour and inspires him to become... The Flower Boy. But as Mrs Samuel loses her smile, will James find his?