The Silver Hand (Flashbacks)
It is the final year of the First World War, and desperation and treachery abound in France. The German army is starting to retreat and is becoming desperate. Aimee is pulled into the world of spies when she discovers her mother is an agent working with the British to defeat the Germans. She finds herself exposing a traitor, a sinister man with a silver hand. When she meets Marius, a German boy who has been left behind, they develop a hesitant friendship. They begin to realise that they are more similar than they imagined, and their friendship grows. Aimee agrees to help Marius to get back behind German lines, but to do this she will have to evade the man with the silver hand, who is looking to exact his revenge on her.
Terry Deary has delivered a fact-packed story which keeps the reader pulled along throughout the book. Aimee’s and Marius’s characters are well developed and believable. The historical details hang on a quick-paced and exciting plot. We have spies, a chilling antagonist and a dangerous journey towards enemy territory, which all deliver excitement. We have making friends with the ‘enemy’ and realising our similarities. This is a great read written by a writer renowned for making history entertaining and accessible. His Horrible Histories series is testament to this, and The Silver Hand lives up to his reputation.
