A Foreign Field

by Gillian Chan

Book Overview

Life has been tough for 14-year-old Ellen Logan. With her country embroiled in the Second World War, she's forced to shoulder many family responsibilities. Life's even tougher for Stephen Dearborn, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1553373499
• ISBN13: 9781553373490
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

A Foreign Field

This was a pretty good book. I liked the basic story line: a young girl (Ellen) during World War II meeting and falling in love with a young soldier. One thing that kind of made me confused was the nightmare that Stephen, the soldier, has several times throughout the book. It repeats itself nearly word for word during the dream and the waking-up part each time it happens. These characters swear sometimes, but not too much (if you're like me and don't enjoy that, this is just a note...). It's quite a nice book, but I didn't really like the ending very much, or the epilogue. This wasn't because it was poorly written or anything, I just really enjoy happy-happy endings, and this wasn't one of those. Although it is a happy ending in a way, it still wasn't as happy as I hoped it would be.

A good story

I really liked "A Foreign Field." I especially liked the poem excerpt that the title came from. The story idea was good: a young girl holding her family together, slowly falling in love with a homesick young pilot. The two start out not even caring for each other, but bit by bit they fall in love. So why only four stars? The story was a very good idea, but felt rushed. The book seemed too short for all the author wanted to say. The chapters alternate, one Ellen's life, one Stephen's letters. At the end, the letters go from one page dated June, the next dated August. It just felt too broad a jump, like some of the suspense was taken out and the story crammed in. However, I did really enjoy "A Foreign Field" and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction or historical romances.

Really Awesome Book!

This book was superb! I love reading books about war and teen struggles, and if you're like me, read this book! I loved the trial and tribulation, and the hard decision as to whether they would get married or not. The ending was a shocker- a sad shocker! I loved this book so much I did a book report on it!

A Foreign Field

14 year-old Ellen accepts her fate of looking after her younger brother, cooking for the family, etc. in an effort to help her family during World War II. She is growing up in Canada near an Air Base, but isn't one of the girls hanging out at the gates waiting to meet one of the "boys in blue" who are training to be pilots there. Her younger brother Colin can't seem to stay out of trouble, and it's his venture to the air base that causes a chance meeting for Ellen and a young airman named Stephen. This book sends you on a journey of many emotions, as Ellen has to eventually quit school to help with the war effort, and Stephen gets sent to England as a bomber pilot. The friendship and love between these two young remarkable people is heartwarming, and ends with a surprise I didn't predict. I will read it again.

Pilots in training, and in love.

This Canadian historical fiction is about the training camps for the RAF and the RCAF during World War II. Stephen is a young fighter pilot in training (part of the RAF). Ellen is a girl living in the town near the training camp. They become friends when Stephen returns Ellen's younger brother to her (he had been snooping around the base), and over the months they realize they love each other. Stephen eventually has to go back to England to fight, but they continue to write. Some of the plot is forced through the letters written home or to Ellen, and the characterization is a bit weak. But you can still connect with Stephen, Ellen, her friends, his friends, and their families. In some ways this was a typical war love story--it felt like an oral history as well. There were fun tidbits included, like the popularity of Jell-O and Brylcreem. Overall it was a pleasant, quick read about a subject that doesn't get covered often.