Enemy Camp by David Hill

Enemy Camp Reviews

• 
  Bridget

  This isn't the best of David Hill's books. Even though the characters of Ewen, Barry and Clarry are engaging and read perfectly for kids of their generation and time, the action takes too long to get going. I have been using David Hill's books with reluctant Year 11 students and wanted another one to add to the pile that I show them but I'm not convinced that they will love this one. The foundation of the book is very sound, the idea for the story, based on the fact that Japanese soldiers were interred at Featherston and there was a violent episode there, is great, it just took a bit long to happen. I really enjoyed reading about Clarry and his polio and Barry and his stutter, but after a while, it did all become a bit overdone. Certainly, it is an okay book, but I've read much much better books from the lovely David Hill.
• 
  Adele Broadbent

  This book does have a violent scene very near the end of the book which will be distressing to some younger readers - this scene is based on fact and is necessary to the story. It is dealt with wonderfully by the author, portraying how shocked and upset the characters were at seeing this event.
  
  But that's what war is. Shocking. Distressing. Sad. Angry. Violent.
  
  This story is told in diary format by a young 12 yr old boy (Ewen) in 1942-1943, when New Zealand is fearful of Japanese invasion, American troops are training nearby, (meeting the locals and going out with the girls), and the home guard is made up of inexperienced teens and old men.
  
  Ewen isn't happy about having to write a diary for school. His teacher says they are living through 'special times' and they should record it. But the more Ewen writes, the more he realises how much is happening around him in normal family life in NZ in the 1940's.
  
  Ewen is a realistic character - a typical kiwi kid. He's a good mate to his best friend Barry, a loving son to his mum and dad, concerned about Barry's little brother who has polio, and not impressed with snobby Susan Proctor at school.
  But Ewen does some growing up throughout the novel, learning about the Japanese POW's at the camp his dad works in, and one prisoner in particular.
  
  Lt Ito is a proud, stern soldier who teaches Ewen and his friends not only about Japan and their language, but about inner strength, humility and honour.
  
  As tensions rise within the camp, those tensions flood through the community, and Ewen and his mates also learn about prejudice and hate. When things reach breaking point, they see what these emotions can do. A terrible event but understandable in such times and circumstances.
  
  Another great book by a a multi award winning New Zealand Author.
  I never knew there was a Japanese POW camp in Featherston NZ. This book put me right there in the 1940's kiwi way of life when families got together to play cards, have picnics, or just a beer with some mates. I laughed out loud the way Ewen addressed his letter at the beginning of the book. I used to do the same thing in the 1970's.
  
• 
  saskia

  It was interesting to see what it was like in New Zealand in the early 1940’s during the Second World War, but as it was written like a diary it seemed to bore me a bit. It was really interesting to learn about things in it, but I can’t say I enjoyed it a lot. If you are interested in reading about what is was like during world war 2 in New Zealand I recommend it.
• 
  Jayne Downes

  This was really easy to read, written in diary format. David Hill gives readers a realistic view of life in the small town of Featherston during the war years and the tragedy at the Japanese prison. I liked the balanced way the author portrayed the Japanese soldiers who felt they had failed their country by being taken prisoner. The Miss Mutter character irritated me and I think the story would have been better without her.
• 
  Isabelle

  Another great book by David Hill.
  The setting is Featherston, in 1942 and 1943. The narrator, whose diary we read is a 12 years old boy whose father is a Home Guard, working in a POW camp, where Japanese civilians are imprisoned, but soon, Japanese soldiers arrive and the mood changes.
  The book deals with the difficult problems of what to do with POW, should they be shunned and shamed or should we try to understand them. What happens when people from a same village, when friends, get different ideas on how to behave towards the POW. There is some lightness in the read as David Hill is well able to write as a 12 years old boy with all their own inner struggles: how to interact or not with girls, how not to show when they are hurt. There is also a boy who suffers from Polio and that too, was a problem at the time and is well portrayed. It is also nice to see the young boy loving to read and starting to see that maybe one day he will be an author.
  A great read.
• 
  Spring

  I had to read this book for my school's reading log and although it wasn't the best, it was based on a true event. It does touch on unlikely bonds and friendships which I think are special.
• 
  Rob Carr

  Books about WWII aren't usually something I would read but I really enjoyed this one.
• 
  Molly Dreaver

  Really liked this! Easy to read and educational - I learnt a lot about what it was like during the war in NZ from a childs perspective
• 
  Mistress Bast

  2 1/2 stars.
  
  I had no idea that there were camps in New Zealand for Japanese POWs during WWII. I guess I had never really thought about what the allies did with POWs. Discovering this fact was the reason I picked up this book.
  
  I wanted to like this book more than I did. Part of the reason it didn't engage me as much as it could have was the style of writing - which I think will work much better for the intended audience (younger teens) than it did for me. The journal style is good to read, but it did frustrate me that it really was more what was going on in his head, not what he was writing (why would you write about what you did write in your journal, not just write it?).
  
  I also found the main story (the relationships between the town and the people in and around the camp) took too much of a backseat at times. The climax, for me, while dramatic, somehow came across as quite anti-climactic.
  
  On the other-hand, the side stories (particularly Ewen's friendships and emotional growth) were quite lovely to read, but not quite enough for me to really enjoy the book.
  
  Recommend to year's 7 & 8 students, and probably even upper primary.
• 
  D.peabody

  Ewen is growing up in Featherston, New Zealand. The year is 1942 and Ewen's Dad works in the POW camp down the road. The prisoners there are Japanese and Ewen is fascinated by them and by what is happening in the camp. He and his friend Barry spend a lot of time loitering outside the camp with Clarry who has Polio. Eventually they are invited in to learn Japanese from one of the prisoners in the hopes of promoting understanding between the two cultures. This causes a mixed reaction in the small community.
  
  Enemy camp is written in the form of a diary. The format gives a snapshot of life in rural New Zealand during World War II. It also gives a great insight into the events and attitudes of the time. This was a great read, it has ignited an interest in reading more by David Hill in the hopes of learning more about our history in a easy accessible way.
• 
  Taniplea

  This book tells the story of the young New Zealander Owen in a series of diary entries dated between October 1942 and February 1943. It's mainly about the Japanese-war prisoners camp close to his town, Featherston, but also about his friendship with two brothers who are overcoming polio and speech problems.
  I really liked the book since I've never read anything about a prisoner-of-war camp and hadn't heard about the incident described at the end of the book. This book is aimed at a younger audience than me, but the event at the end might be a bit violent for children. I also liked the New Zealand setting and slang; as an exchange student over here I always enjoy when I recognise typical New Zealand things in books.