What would it be like to have your faith in God and country tested in the Holy Land itself? Sixteen-year-old Canadian Edward Bathe has already lost his brother Hector in World War I, and now he feels it’s his duty to serve. He abandons his ailing father and heads off to war, ending up in Palestine to fight the Turks. The war shatters Edward’s faith, and when he returns home and enters his old church, he whispers to the carving of Jesus on the cross, “I walked where you walked, and I didn’t see you anywhere.” The narrative takes its time in getting Edward to Palestine, but when he enters battle on his beloved horse Buke, the scenes are every bit as exciting as any movie spectacle. Though additional historical context would have provided depth to the story, rousing action and characters to care about yield a memorable tale. A good match with Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful (2003). (map, author’s note) (Fiction. 12-15)
