The Grubby Feather Gang (Paperback or Softback)

It is 1916, and George’s father refuses to go and fight in the trenches of World War 1. He is branded a coward, and George does not know what to think. Worse still, the school bully hangs George upside-down from the hayloft, and the next day, George gets the cane! So, with a bit of help from Emma, a curious newcomer to the village, he decides to take daring and drastic revenge on both the bully and his teacher. But he could never have predicted what happens next…The Grubby Feather Gang is the story of four friends helping each other cope with their parents’ problems. * The BigShorts books are short, stand-alone novels for strong Key Stage 2 readers. Each novel is around 100 pages long. The content is rich and detailed, tackling discussion-worthy themes. Being shorter than most novels, BigShorts books are a great length for teachers to read to their class, or for use as guided-reading texts.

This is a great little book – one I’m so thankful to the author for bringing to my attention. It’s essentially self-published, but don’t let that put you off. It’s an exceptionally polished presentation – my only minor quibble regards typesetting: an unusually large inset for the first line of each paragraph.
As a short chapter book about bullying and pacifism, set at the time of the First World War, it presents moral and behaviour conflicts in a manner that makes it eminently accessible for children of primary school age. It would make a very good group read.
The author is a primary school teacher and says (his experience is one I can share from my own time working with this age range), “I believe there are many very capable readers in upper key stage 2 who are put off by longer novels but who do want to read challenging and interesting subject matter.”
The book is presented as the first in a series of “BigShorts” – short novels for strong readers, that Wootten intends publishing and promoting through his website. If subsequent titles are as good as this, ACHUKA will be happy to help promote them.
The writing is clear, visual and uncluttered. The characters are finely delineated – the bully, the victim, the pacifist father, the strict schoolteacher, the friend & accomplice – but all very believable. The conflict between the main character’s parents – his father the conscientious objector, and his mother who has to bear the brunt of fellow women’s resentment that while their husbands are away fighting hers is at home shirking – is one of the best aspects of the book.
Female readers might want George’s friend, Emma, to play a more forthright role in subsequent adventures.
Oh, and there is animal interest, in a cat named Azar.
The formula is a good one. -- Achuka Reviews

Life is confusing for George Sanders: his father, the local vet, has refused to 'do his bit' and volunteer to fight in France. There's bad feeling in the village - with the women giving Dad white feathers - and even George's mum believes that he should go and fight. To top it all George is currently being suspended, upside down, from the rafters in the hayloft by the local bully who is determined that George is going to do his maths homework. You'd think that it couldn't get much worse, but the next day he's caned at school when he doesn't feel that he was in the wrong. There's no wonder George is confused, is there?

It's 1916 and George's dad is a conscientious objector - or conchie as they were known. George sees the other men from the village joining up - and sometimes hearing they've been killed. It isn't that Mr Sanders is frightened of fighting, but that he believes war is wrong. He's not even willing to join the army in a non-combative roll, such as the veterinary service: he's determined to fight war itself, by lobbying parliament. It's a lot for George to understand, particularly when everyone seems to be against his dad. He can't understand why his father remains so calm in the face of the threats - almost welcoming the abuse.

And then there's the problem of how George deals with the bullying from Stan North. When his mother finds out what's been happening she says that George should hit Stan, but George is no more inclined to violence than his father is. He's got one friend though - a rather strange girl called Emma, who has some dubious talents which are going to land George in even more trouble, when he thinks that someone else is dodging doing their bit for the war effort but doesn't understand the background to the situation.

It's a good story with plenty to make the young reader think about war, about why people fight and what happens when someone feels strongly that what is happening is wrong. There's a neat parallel with what's happening at a local level when George is bullied. The Grubby Feather Gang is a book to read and discuss - and the characters will stay with you for a long time after you've turned the final page. I'd like to thank the publisher for sending a copy to the Bookbag. -- The Bookbag

A story about war without being a graphic tale that actually involves battle, strategic planning or overt violence, The Grubby Feather Gang offers up debatable perspectives of war. Antony Wootten focuses mainly on school age children in his book, but the children’s parents most certainly come into play. It’s 1916 and George continually has to deal with a bully, who seems to sometimes be his friend. Stan often finds unpleasant ways to force George to do his homework, for example. A new girl, Emma, comes to town, and George soon discovers she is a bit mischievous. She devises a plan to get back at Stan for bullying George, but this ultimately backfires. George’s behavior throughout somewhat mirrors his father’s, but this is a sore point for George. The deeper story within is that George’s father is a pacifist and refuses to go to war; therefore, the townspeople bully him as they believe him to be a coward and a traitor. Though in the end, just as in war, it’s not all hearts and flowers, there are friendships built that will last a lifetime.

Fairly well-written, The Grubby Feather Gang is an interesting read and could easily be a great book for discussion on the topic of war and fighting with one’s children or students. George, Stan, and Emma end up in a number of situations that are truly moral dilemmas. Antony Wootten does a nice job of getting the reader to see that each character, including the children’s abrasive teacher, behave in certain ways that one simply cannot understand without digging deeper into the person’s circumstances. The challenges that adults and children face due to war, bullying, and crime are laid out for further discussion if one is willing to take the time to ponder what these things really mean to the lives of the characters and how he or she might have reacted in said situation. A nice read to start a conversation on oftentimes hushed topics, The Grubby Feather Gang is a great book to read together with one’s older elementary to middle and high school age children. -- Red City Review

“A well plotted novel about children living through tough times. A very entertaining read.” Jonny Zucker - children’s author

Just finished reading this. Another great book Antony. Love your characters. Love the issues you chose to explore. Love how it flows. Will there be another?” Karen Langtree - children’s author