Brother in the Land (New Oxford Playscripts) [Paperback]

Robert Swindells (Author)

Book Description

Series: New Oxford Playscripts

When a nuclear bomb wrecks his hometown and rips his family apart, 15-year-old Danny has to learn the art of survival...and fast. Under constant threat from radiation sickness, starvation, and the men who have seized power, Danny struggles to protect himself and his brother. Then he joins the resistance and the real fight begins...New, innovative activities specifically tailored to support the KS3 Framework for Teaching English and help students to fulfil the Framework objectives. Activities include work on Speaking and Listening, close text analysis, and the structure of playscripts, and act as a springboard for personal writing.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Swindells lives on the Yorkshire moors and is a full-time writer. He has won the Children's Book Award twice, for BROTHER IN THE LAND and for ROOM 13. In 1994, he won the Carnegie Medal for STONE COLD, and also the Sheffield Book Award. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198320841
• ISBN-13: 978-0198320845
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,946,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Swindells left school at fifteen to work on a local newspaper. At seventeen, he joined the RAF for three years, then trained and worked as a teacher. Now a full-time writer, he is the author of a number of bestselling titles for the Random House children's list. In 1994 he won the Carnegie Medal for STONE COLD (Hamish Hamilton), a teenage novel about a serial killer.
RUBY TANYA won the Salford Children's Book Award 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Here today, gone tomorrow., November 29, 1999

By 

Greg Hughes - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother in the Land (Hardcover)

"One minute everything was normal, and then it was gone." This is a first person account of life after a nuclear holocaust. The narrator is an English boy called Danny. He recounts all the things that have happened to him since the holocaust and the grim struggle that life has become. This is a good book because it is written by someone who actually experienced what happened. The narrator makes each day feel tense and uncertain. Danny's life is grim, insecure and torturous.

One of the interesting things about this book are the invented names used to describe the various species of survivor: "Goths", "Spacers", "Terminals", "Badgers" and "Purples". It's the beginning of a new language.

Grief and despair pervade this book. Nuclear weapons have utterly destroyed civilization, England has been turned into a poisonous, desolate wasteland. The narrator has written this account to warn future generations (if any) not to do it again.

When you finish reading "Brother in the Land" read "Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban. That book is also a first person account by a boy in post-holocaust England. Set thousands of years in the future, the people live a primitive life with dim legends of the world as we know it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sad tale about life after the bomb., August 27, 2011

By 

Joseph P. Ulibas "Captain Couth" (Florin, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brother in the Land (Puffin Teenage Fiction) (Paperback)

Brother in the Land is a novella about the lives of two English brothers after World War III and the effects it has on their lives, the community and the bleak future. Danny is a teenage boy who's World comes to an end when the missiles fall. Confusion and frustration cloud the youngster's mind as he finds himself in an unimaginable and hellish situation. But that is nothing compared to the doom of the impending fallout and harsh winter along with starvation staring at him in the face. What is an English kid gonna do when his life is changed forever?

A found this book so dark, dreary and heartbreaking. But it was entertaining and I wanted to read the entire book in one sitting. Unlike some books that I read, I felt for the characters and sympathized with their situation (even though they were English). Human suffering and it's condition knows no borders. I really enjoyed the book, my only complaint is that I wished it was longer and more in depth. But then I realize that it would even be more depressing. If you are a fan of the nuclear war or post apocalyptic genre then I highly suggest that you find a copy. I wish this book was more widely available. Too bad a lot of these books are out of print.

Highly recommended

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book scarred me for life., June 26, 2002

By 

Tallulah (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother in the Land (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was 11 years old. BIG mistake. I had nightmares from it and I couldn't stop crying. So part of me wants to give it 1 star. But it is actually a very good book. It really brings home to you the consequences of nuclear war, especially long-term effects like radiation sickness. I recommend it to people who don't mind a depressing read or who are interested in dystopian novels, but don't read it if you're soft-hearted, or if you're already frightened about the topic. It will just make you worse.