It's New Zealand, 1914, and the Great War is raging on battlefields in Europe. King and Country are calling! William eagerly enlists for the army but his younger brother, Edmund, is opposed to the whole idea of war and he refuses to join up.

While William trains to be a soldier, Edmund is arrested and put in prison as a conscientious objector. Both brothers discover that the shocking realities of war are a far cry from what they had imagined.

And what they experience challenges each of their tightly-held beliefs to the maximum.

This book is a triple award-winner by acclaimed New Zealand writer of YA fiction, David Hill.

'…there are stories that need to be told over and over again, to introduce a new generation of readers to important ideas and to critical times in their country's history…' --New Zealand Post Book Awards
'Real, raw … and fabulous all at the same time.' --Adele Broadbent, writer/reviewer
'Beautifully written and deeply engrossing…' --Otago Daily Times

David Hill is one of New Zealand's leading writers for children and young people. He studied at the Victoria University of Wellington and initially became a high school teacher, teaching both in New Zealand and the UK. David's books have been published internationally and his short stories and plays for young people have been broadcast worldwide.

He has won numerous awards for his writing in New Zealand and overseas and was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004.

Close to the Wind