Secret Soldiers

Thirteen year old Thomas is making his way across the country trying to enlist as a soldier in the British army, but not only is he just thirteen, he is also small for his age.  He is desperate to get to the Western Front and find his older brother.  They haven't heard from James since he enlisted.

He is turned away once again, but a street kid named George seems him as the perfect target.  With his mining experience, George knows some men who will pay him well for Thomas's skills.  This is how the two boys sneak into the army and find themselves on a secret mission not to fight on the field at the Western Front but to join the men digging below the earth. 

Men are dying every day as the Allies try to break the German line, but the diggers hope to change all that.  It's dangerous work.  They could be discovered and killed by German soldiers who are also working underground, but there are also the dangers of cave ins and carbon dioxide poisoning. 

Thomas and George are also joined by Frederick, the son of a wealthy family hoping to prove himself in battle and Charlie, who is running away from a violent father.  They are all much too young to be soldiers, but their efforts will be vital to turning the tide of the war.

Keely Hutton's story of boys in WWI is a page turner readers will love.  It tells the story of the clay kickers who made all the difference on the Western Front and makes the horrors of the war real for younger readers while still keeping the spirit of a story about young boys.  Hutton also references shell shock, what we now know as PTSD, and it's paralyzing effects as well as the necessity for soldiers to become desensitized to the humanity of the enemy.  Highly recommended.