Lord of the Nutcracker Men by Iain Lawrence Date of Publication: May 2003 ISBN: 0440418127 Number of Pages: 212

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: High
GENRES: Historical Fiction
THEMES: Family, Loyalty, Good versus Evil, Responsibility, Appearance versus Reality, Life versus Death

SUMMARY:
It is 1914, and England and Germany are at war. Ten-year-old Johnny is leading a normal life until his father enlists in the army and is sent to France to fight. With his father in France and his mother working, Johnny is sent to live with his miserable Aunt in a small town in the countryside. He takes with him his toy soldiers, or “Nutcracker Men,” and retreats into a world of make-believe battles as a way to cope.

While away at war, Johnny's father, a toymaker, whittles wooden soldiers and sends them to Johnny with his letters that detail the ugliness of life on the front. Johnny adds these soldiers to his Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen and engages them in the ferociousness of war. Johnny soon notices, however, that his make-believe war games seem to foretell the real battles his father undergoes. Johnny is tormented by the thought that perhaps he is actually able to control the fate of all of the soldiers at war. It is only as his life becomes personally affected by the people around him that he understands the way war makes pawns and toys of them all…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK: A kid who...

• likes war stories and war video games
• likes toy soldiers
• likes mysteries and ghost stories
• believes he or she has supernatural abilities or special gifts
• likes historical fiction

WHAT ELSE?
This book is interesting because, on the surface, it seems to be just an historical fiction novel about WWI. On a much deeper level, however, it explores themes of responsibility, isolation, religion, and moral choices. If the students are able to delve into the symbolism of the book, discussions could be amazing.

RELATED LINKS:
About the Author Iain Lawrence
Teacher's Guide @ Random House
Discussion Questions@ Teenreads