Books with author Vince Cross

SEPTEMBER 1644 My head was down as I rode into the teeth of a gale beside Edward and I struggled to understand the meaning of the sudden shouts of anxiety from in front of us. I looked up and saw horses rearing and turning. Then I heard a volley of shots ring out, though I could not see who fired them for the smoke that suddenly hung over the road. At last, and nearly too late, I obeyed a harshly issued instruction to dismount and take shelter behind the wagons if I valued my life. I felt rather than heard the musket fire that might have been the end of me, as it ripped the air apart and shredded the canvas behind my head...

March 1879 I ran and ran, screaming the worst curses I knew, hurtling completely alone into the enemy lines. There was thunder in my ears, but no lightning struck me down as I threw myself at the red soldiers, lashing out at their faces with my fists. They must have beenamazed to see a Zulu boy suddenly dive into their shallow trenches, but in a moment they'd swarmed over me and pinned me to the ground...For the next hour, while the battle raged around me, I lay struggling under the body of an English soldier as he handed upammunition to his comrades...

How far are we simply victims of our circumstances and how far can we act to shape our lives? Abi is a well-balanced, talented girl in her early teens. The trouble is, everyone wants her to help with their agendas. This includes people at school, her music and dance teacher, and her church youth group leader. Meanwhile, one of her friends is in floods of tears over her parents' break-up and another is hot-wiring smart cars and joy-riding in them. As pressures mount on Abi, she discovers that a reporter on the local paper is conducting a campaign against her school. After an emotional roller-coaster, Abi finally emerges triumphant by getting people to act together. As a result, many of them come to realize that they can overcome their circumstances.

I Was There... is a perfect introduction for younger readers into stories from the past, allowing children to imagine that they were really there. I Was There... Alone in the Trenches tells the incredible true story of a young girl lost in the trenches and how the soldiers she met there helped her find her family. Brilliantly reimagined by My Story author, Vince Cross, readers aged 7+ will love this vivid first-hand account of a child's experience of WWI.