A moving short story from the collection, BEYOND THE STARS, written and illustrated by a great Irish talent in children's fiction today

When his brother goes missing in action, Charley knows he has a duty to enlist for the army himself. Soon dispatched to the Somme, he and his comrades are far from home and living in fear of a faceless enemy. Cold and wet, letters from their loved ones in Ireland and well-meaning banter with each other are the only things that keep the soldiers going. But just at the moment the troops are given the command to go `over the top' and cross no-man's-land to face the enemy, Charley realises the precious letter from home that he's been saving to read could have been about his brother and that maybe he should have read it after all. Terrified, Charley knows that whatever decision he makes at that moment could change his life for ever...

A moving and affecting tale, brought to life by evocative illustrations.

Look out for the other eleven stories - also available as e-shorts!

This book is part of a book series called Beyond the Stars .

This book has been graded for interest at 9-13 years.

There are 50 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 2014 by HarperCollins Publishers .

Oisin McGann has worked extensively in creative media, first as freelance designer and illustrator in the publishing and design industry, and later as a background designer on the animated series 'Zorro'. During a spell at an advertising agency, he expanded into copywriting.