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I Am DavidAnne Holm
I Am David
by Anne Holm
A boy who has known nothing but a prison camp is told to run, and walks the length of Europe with a compass and a bar of soap.
A story about children, adventurous and thoughtful in tone. We would put it with children of 10–13, and at a reading age of about 10 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Frightening scenes
- Separated from family
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
A boy who has known nothing but a prison camp is suddenly told by a guard to escape, and sets off to walk the length of Europe towards Denmark with almost nothing — a compass, a bar of soap, and no idea how to live among ordinary people or trust a single one of them. Anne Holm's novel follows David as he learns, slowly and painfully, what freedom, kindness and even beauty are, having never known them. It is a spare, moving story of endurance and of a child rediscovering his own humanity, with frightening scenes and the ache of family separation running throughout, though its direction is always towards hope and light. For a thoughtful reader of ten to thirteen it is a quietly powerful book that opens up huge subjects — totalitarianism, refuge, the worth of a single life — through one boy's journey, and it tends to stay with the children who read it for a very long time.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Waiting for AnyaMichael Morpurgo
The Machine GunnersRobert Westall
Young Sherlock Holmes: Death CloudAndrew Lane
Carrie's WarNina Bawden
Charlotte SometimesPenelope Farmer
GhostJason Reynolds
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.