Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review What would happen if Jesus came back as a British schoolboy? It is the 1952 autumn term at England's Redlands Prep, and Toby Jenkins is back at a school he loathes. But Toby's feelings change with the arrival of Christopher, a new student who is not like other boys. Christopher is immediately noticed by the school when he stands up to the unreasonable demands of the headmaster; then a war breaks out between the prep boy "toffs" and the village "oiks," and Christopher's role as a peacemaker has a sacred aura about it. It comes almost as no surprise to Toby when Christopher confesses that he hears voices and that those voices have told him he is Jesus incarnate. Toby asks for a sign, and signs are granted. In an amazing scene, Toby, because he feels Christopher is with him, is able to calm a bull the oiks have let into a field to harm the schoolboys. But faith is difficult to sustain, especially in the face of the powers that be, and when Christopher is expelled by a furious headmaster, Toby, to his later desolation, betrays him. Morpurgo's reach is long, but he succeeds at almost every level. God and the mystery of faith are at the center of the story, yet both are fully grounded in the affairs of adolescent boys: rivalries, sports, even first love. The book's only drawback may be its British setting, which does, at times, get in the way. However, all characters, even the adults, are fully realized, and Toby, as the reluctant disciple, mirrors the ecstasy and anguish any one of us would feel at being "chosen." This is quite an extraordinary novel. It asks the larger questions--and lets readers find their own answers.

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 6-9--The new term at Redlands begins routinely for Toby Jenkins, except for the presence of a new boy, Christopher, who confidently stands up to the headmaster. After his initial clash with authority, Christopher becomes a model student and befriends Toby. He tells Toby of his many visions, reveals that he is the reincarnated Jesus Christ, and vows to try to save the world. Aware of Toby's doubt, he promises that a miracle will occur. Several days later, Toby becomes his first disciple. When the students become embroiled in a war with the local village boys, it is Christopher who becomes the voice of peace, tolerance, and love to both sides. School officials eventually find out about the young man's claims, expel him for blasphemy, and force Toby to renounce him publicly or be expelled himself. Worried about his parents' reaction, he forsakes Christopher as a fraud, though in his heart he still believes in him. Through vivid and memorable characters, rich details of the rural setting, and ample dialect to spice the interesting dialogue, Morpurgo captures the flavor of an English boarding school in the 1950s. He tackles provocative themes, dealing with the issues of hate, revenge, prejudice, and especially faith in an intelligent and fresh manner. While this novel is likely to be controversial, it will interest YAs and will assuredly provide them with numerous discussion possibilities.--Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT

Horn Book

Morpurgo's clever novel about the conflict between village residents and the boys at a British boarding school centers on a boy named Christopher, who says he is Jesus, and the effect he has on the other students. Though some characters are caricatures and the plot is predictable, the captivating novel contains an adroit exploration of themes of loyalty, faith, and peer pressure; a budding romance; and an upbeat ending.

Kirkus Reviews

Morpurgo (The Sandman and the Turtles, 1994, etc.) chooses a British preparatory school in the 1950s as the unlikely setting for the second coming of Christ in an engrossing, imaginative tale. Although Toby dreads another year at the strict and austere Redlands, his anxieties fade in the face of his friendship with Christopher, a new boy who is brave enough to stand up to the overbearing headmaster and compassionate enough to reassure a homesick younger boy. When Christopher admits his belief that he is Jesus Christ, Toby is stunned, but in the face of various miracles and foretold events, his skepticism shatters into the faith of a true believer. Toby becomes ensnared in a series of skirmishes between the Redlands students and the locals that threatens to flare into all-out war. Christopher's attempts at peacekeeping work, but he is expelled for claiming to be God. His example prevails, and the cadre of Redland boys who followed Christopher convince their fellows that further bloodshed will settle nothing. Morpurgo is unhindered by the undeniably British locale and characters: He has written a rare novel that has the capacity to teach its potent lessons of altruism to many readers. (Fiction. 9- 12)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Despite the title, this is no historical novel, and the eponymous 18th-century war does not enter into the fervid plot. The war here is of the type waged primarily in fiction: an all-out battle at a boys' school. An innocent mistake triggers a series of brutal skirmishes between the privileged students of Redlands, an English boarding school, and the boys from the village. As the toffee-noses'' fight theoiks,'' even the headmaster and teachers take sides, and class hatred erupts full force. Morpurgo (Waiting for Anya), however, throws in a wholly unexpected twist in the form of Christopher, a Redlands boy who, by means of a few arguable ``miracles,'' secretly persuades several fellow students that he is Jesus. Desperate to stop the war, Christopher and his apostles turn the other cheek and in fact bring about peace. Morpurgo seems to want the reader to believe in Christopher as a Christ figure, or at least to subscribe to Christopher/Christ's teachings, but the is-he-or-isn't-he puzzle leaves little occasion for contemplating homilies. The various elements of the plots are neither believable nor sufficiently consuming to invite a suspension of disbelief-they are simply incongruous. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)