Abingdon Library is supporting the initiative and will be including the book in its Summer Reading Challenge, with Abingdon’s two independent bookshops, Mostly Books and The Bookstore, offering discounted copies during the next few months.
Private Peaceful charts eight hours in the life of a young soldier at the Front, as he looks back over the formative events of his life. Written by one of Britain’s best loved writers for children, Michael Morpurgo, Private Peaceful won the Blue Peter Book Award and has been adapted into an acclaimed stage play and film.
Readers can submit their reflections and reviews of the book to a special online forum which I have set up on the website Goodreads.
This year is a really important time for us all to remember everyone who suffered during the Great War. Private Peaceful is such a powerful book, and it’s worthy of a place on everyone’s book shelf.
Lynne Moores, the Manager of Abingdon Library, said: “The Community Read provides an opportunity for Abingdon to come together and think of all the men who fought and died for our country and our freedom. Private Peaceful is a great choice because it offers the chance to reflect on a profound time in history that affected the lives of everyone in the town.”
The Community Read will culminate with a screening of the film adaptation of Private Peaceful and talk by its Producer, Guy de Beaujeu, on Wednesday 24th September 2014. The screening is part of OLA’s annual Festival of Reading, and is open to members of the public. To book tickets, please contact the school.
The full URL for the Goodreads groups is www.goodreads.com/group/show/137931-abingdon-community-read-private-peaceful. The short URL is http://bit.ly/1qDNPYF.
