Books with author John Will

The Caught in Conflict Collection is an imprint of fast-paced, historically accurate, morally-complex quick reads for Adults and Teens. They can be read in any order.Ted Ryan and his parents have a chance to escape the drudgery of the Depression in Canada for a holiday in Europe. Unfortunately, it is the summer of 1936 and Spain, where Ted longs to see a bullfight, is exploding in civil war. Swept up in the chaos, Ted finds himself alone and searching for his missing father. The only person who can help him is Dolores, a beautiful Spanish revolutionary who can explain what is going on, but who is in just as much danger as Ted as they travel across the war-torn countryside."…moves along at a breakneck pace." CCL"Wilson offers a unique perspective on this fascinating era…even minor characters are brought to life." Library Journal"…replete with the constant menace of danger and death…Recommended." Canadian Book Review Annual

The Caught in Conflict Collection is an imprint of fast-paced, historically accurate, morally-complex quick reads for Adults and Teens. They can be read in any order.It's A.D. 79 on the slopes of Vesuvius. With no warning the mountain has erupted into violent, terrifying life. Those who can, flee, but one old man, Lucius Quintus Claudianus, sits in an abandoned villa in Herculaneum, struggling to finish a story only he can tell. Seventy years before, Lucius was the sole survivor of three Roman legions, ambushed and slaughtered in the wilds of Germania.Lucius's tale is of dark forests, evil swamps and horrific pagan sacrifices, but it is also the story of his friendship with Freya, a Cherusci warrior. As soldiers caught up in treachery and war, they must choose between their culture and their friendship. And it's a choice they have to get right because the consequences of being wrong could mean death."This riveting, haunting tale will leave readers clamoring for more." Best Books"…a complicated storyline which contains rich historical detail reminiscent of the Great Rosemary Sutcliffe, as well as universals about war and cultural identity." The Star Phoenix"…this richly detailed and well-narrated Roman-era historical novel…is a hugely rewarding novel that has much more than its exciting and bloody battle scenes to appeal to…readers. Highly Recommended." Canadian Materials.

On a visit to a seaside town in Australia, fifteen-year-old Sam meets Annabel, who works at the local museum. Annabel's interest in history is infectious, and Sam soon finds himself eager to hunt for the remains of a boat called the Mahogany Ship—a shipwreck sought after by many. When a storm creates an erosion hole that exposes a structure, Sam and Annabel are convinced it's the fabled ship. Soon all of the museum staff are at the erosion site to check it out. But the same storm also destroys the museum's power; someone knows the alarms aren't working and steals the museum's most treasured artifact, a large porcelain peacock worth $4 million. As Sam and Annabel search for the thief, they realize there may be a link between the fabled shipwreck and the recent theft.

A boy-friendly book set during World War One, published for the centennary of the war and accompanied by a digital component to boost interest from the school and library market. It's the early 1900s and Edward Setten is growing up in the prairies fascinated by his uncle, who is one of the very first people in Canada to pilot a plane. Despite his mother's protests, Edward learns to fly and, when war breaks out, joins the Royal Flying Corps. In this fast-paced and gripping novel, Edward's coming of age takes place in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

The Caught in Conflict Collection is an imprint of fast-paced, historically accurate, morally-complex quick reads for Adults and Teens. They can be read in any order.To Jack O'Hara, recently arrived from Canada to live with his aunt in Cawnpore, India is an exotic place of wonder and mystery, but war and horror are bubbling just below the surface. When the violence explodes, Jack and a thousand soldiers, women and children must fight for their lives, trapped in an inadequate entrenchment under the brutal summer sun. As the survivors watch the bodies pile up around them, there is little they can do except pray that a relief column can reach them before starvation and massacre end the tragedy."This is an absolutely terrific book…Never lagging with a credible hero and an exotic setting…The pacing is flawless." Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction Jury Citation"The tension and action of the battle and the intense danger of the escape from the massacre will keep readers turning these pages." Quill & Quire

Set during the last year of the American Civil War, this grim portrayal of the brutality of war through the eyes of a young soldier, Jake Clay as he joins the Union Army in the spring of 1864, determined to make his parents proud. His dreams of glory vanish, however, when he is wounded and taken prisoner in his first battle at Cold Harbor, Virginia, and confined to the Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, where 30,000 soldiers face violence, disease and starvation. Frightened and disillusioned, Jake takes up with Billy Sharp, an unscrupulous opportunist who shows him how to survive, no matter what the cost. By the war's end Jake's sleep is haunted by the ghosts of those who have died so he could live. When the camp is liberated, Jake and Billy head north on the Mississippi riverboat Sultana, overcrowded far beyond its capacity. Unknown to Jake, the fateful journey up river will come closer to killing him than Andersonville did, but it will also provide him with his one chance at redemption.