Armistice Runner

Lily has lots of worries. She’s struggling to compete in her junior fell-running races and, worse, she’s losing her gran to Alzheimer’s. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfather’s diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win?

Written for 9+ children
Published by Barrington Stoke
Read Chapter 1 of Armistice Runner here

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.

Available from your local library, bookshops and

“Powerfully poignant, this is a book not to be missed … If there is one WWI story you read this year to commemorate the centenary, let it be this one!” Scott Evans, The Reader Teacher & #PrimarySchoolBookClub

Barrington Stoke’s Press release about the book here.

(Accelerated Reader Quiz No: 234312, Points 4.00, Book Level 4.0,
Middle Years, Ages 9 to 13)

“It’s utterly compelling – a pacy tribute to the athleticism and bravery of men such as Ernest Dalzell, fell-runner extraordinaire and soldier. With its themes of loyalty, competitiveness, heartbreak and endurance, Armistice Runner is full of authentic emotion. I love how Lily learns that she shares her fitness, speed and eye for navigation over tough terrain with her great-greatgrandfather. A connection that gives her an edge of fortitude when she most needs it … Armistice Runner will enhance readers’ understanding of the tragedy of war – and I hope, too, it inspires some to lace up their studs and head out into the fells.” Emma Hargreave

Awards

Book Awards. I am thrilled that Armistice Runner was voted to win:

the older readers category prize at the FCBG Children’s Book Awards!
the Bury Grammar School Book Award – Older Readers Category judged by all Yr 5 – 8 students across 4 schools
the Cheshire Schools Book Award
the KS3 James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award 2019
the Tees Valley TVED Book of the Year 2019
winner of the Ysgol Bae Baglan Older Reader middle school Book Award 2020

Nominations: Thanks to your kind nominations, Armistice Runner was nominated for the :

The CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL
Nominations for 2020
shortlist for the UKLA Book Awards 2020
shortlist for Shrewsbury Big Book Award 2020
shortlist for Lancashire Fantastic Book Awards 2019-2020
shortlist for Derbyshire Schools’ Book Award 2020
shortlist for Sheffield Children’s Book Award 2020
shortlist for the Nottinghamshire ELS Brilliant Book Award
shortlisted for the Year 5 Portsmouth Book Award 2019
shortlisted for Essex SLS Junior Book Awards for 2019
shortlist for Cumbria Schools’ Library Service Secondary Spellbinding 2020 book award
longlist for the Steel City Book Club Awards 2020
longlist for Lancashire SLS Fantastic Book Awards
longlist for Bury Grammar School Book Award 2020

And it has been :

reviewed for The Historical Association’s Young Quill Award
recommended on Book Trust’s #MyBookbuzz programme list 2019
recommended on Books for Topics 50 reads for Year 5
recommended on Books for Topics best class read alouds here

“A powerful intergenerational tale that honours the forgotten running heroes of November 11th 1918 and examines the devastatingimpact of dementia on family relationships in the twenty‑first century.” Ailsa Bathgate

Check out our gallery of school responses to Armistice Runner here

Resources

The Armistice Runner Challenge – a running and memory activity for schools Guidelines & certificate

Literacy & Dementia

powerpoint
reading comprehension worksheet, answers and teacher’s notes

Literacy & Sport

powerpoint
SPAG worksheet, answers and teacher’s notes

Literacy & History

powerpoint
missing punctuation worksheet, answers and-teacher’s notes

Cover Prediction Worksheets including:

Who, where, what, when, why etc ?
Predictions and why
Download here

The Fells : Vocabulary Picture by Kim Gibbins and worksheet

Download here

Poster

Download here

(More posters here)

Colouring

Draw a landscape to colour in for the Armistice Runner characters here: Lily (running today) and Ernest (a trench runner in the First World War) here.

(More posters here)

You could also use these to create character profiles …

Extra resources produced and kindly shared by Mrs Forrest, Framwellgate School, Durham:

Student Glossary

Download here

Student workbook

Download here

Book Clubs in Schools also have a great 10 week reading club activity pack here

Article

Please feel free to use these images for mapping your pupils ideas about the story, see this example

Another idea used by pupils at Greenbank School was to create these amazing “blackout poems” …

See also … Ten national and local opportunities that schools in the UK can take to mark the Armistice centenary this November. https://tompalmer.co.uk/10-ways-schools-can-mark-the-armistice-centenary-this-autumn/

“Armistice Runner is a wonderful story to use in the classroom to explore the history of World War 1. The narrative is compelling and perfectly pitched to bring the big themes of war to young readers without being either too frightening or too reductive. By linking the historical aspect of the story to a modern day character in a familiar setting and emphasising the relatable, human aspects of one soldier’s experiences, Tom has skilfully crafted a way for young readers to connect with an event that could too easily seem a world away from them.” BOOK FOR TOPICS

Armistice Runner display at Eldon Grove Academy – Fantastic work!

Find out more about …

The First World War and the Armistice here

The inspiration for Armistice Runner here

(See also my First World War story Over the Line)

Themes in this book : 1 The First World War

The story is based very loosely on our family’s love of cross country and fell running and the champion fell runner of 100 years ago, Ernest Dalzell:

While researching Over the Line I became fascinated with the Armistice and how hundreds of thousands of men could collectively stop fighting at eleven a.m. after all they had been through. I read that there was no time to lay down communication wires, the allies had been advancing so quickly on the Germans. Runners were used to pass the news on.

More First World War Literacy Resources to accompany Over the Line , Wings: Flyboy and Armistice Runner (Posters, videos, playscripts and quizzes) downloadable from here.

Themes in this book : 2 Running

My daughter is a fell and crosscountry runner (as am I) and I wanted the story to come from the point of view of a girl like her and the other keen children who enjoy running cross country and on the fells.

Knowing that many cross-country and fell runners went to fight in the First World War, the story started there.

In the muddy fields, along with the parents and grandparents, stand the coaches. Volunteers who give up their time and use their passion to make it possible for millions of children to enjoy dozens of sports every week in the UK. Armistice Runner is dedicated to them.

Themes in this book 3 : Dementia

Today’s grandparents are often portrayed in books as retired, cosy and very much hands-on with their grandchildren. Sadly, many more families today are coping with the heartbreaking affect dementia has on their older loved ones. In Armistice Runner, I tried to capture the impact this has through Lily’s warm relationship with her ailing gran.

“Thank you so much @tompalmerauthor for dropping this in at my work! It’s a beautiful start to a story! I can’t wait to read the rest #armisticerunner !” https://emilyloveslondon.com/

“Armistice Runner was one of my standout reads of 2018.” Scott Evans, The Reader Teacher

Videos

Accolades

recommended on Book Trust’s #MyBookbuzz programme list 2019
recommended on Books for Topics 50 reads for Year 5
reviewed for the@histassoc Young Quills Award
chosen by Former UK Literacy Association President, Teresa Cremin as her Book of the Year for 2018
Books for Topics September 2018 book of the month
School Reading List’s October 2018 book of the month. “a gripping and tense account … An uplifting story of adversity, this YA book is a pacey page-turner to read in one sitting”
Minerva Read‘s book of the week Autumn 2018

Reviews

“This isn’t only a book about sports or war – it’s a just a great story, expertly told, and one that every child should have a chance to read” THAT BOY CAN TEACH, BLOG

“Armistice Runner is both powerful and poignant. Showing just how strong the written word can be, Tom Palmer gives out messages of bravery and of perseverance and gives a fresh outlook on WWI” MAMA MUMMY MUM, BLOG

“Tom Palmer has created a poignant story with different voices which manages deftly to explore painful memories of the war while keeping a foot firmly in the present” JUST IMAGINE

“Tom Palmer doesn’t usually make me cry … But this one, Armistice Runner, was something else. Even if you’ve read countless other WWI stories … this has something that belongs only to this book. It’s very good and sad. But also inspiring” BOOKWITCH, BLOG

“This is a brilliant, thought-provoking book, packed with issues that children can relate to: friendship, family, loss. Wrap that cleverly in a story of sport and war, and Armistice Runner is, without doubt, one of the finest war books I have read in a long time” THE READING ZONE

“World War One remains a subject of fascination for readers of all ages, but Tom Palmer finds an original way in to the topic in this poignant new story … Today and yesterday are seamlessly woven together in a story that will move readers in lots of different ways” ANDREA REECE,
LOVEREADING4KIDS

“Powerfully poignant … not to be missed. If there is one WWI story you read this year, let it be this one!” SCOTT EVANS, THE READER TEACHER

“an engaging, exciting and emotionally intense one that will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about family relationships and how we’re all tied to the history of our ancestors” letterpress project

“The World Wars have provided many an author with fodder for their fiction and there are some truly brilliant books out there as a result. The best are the ones that take a slightly different angle and explore one of millions of individual lives that were affected by those conflicts. ‘Armistice Runner’ is one such book… The fact that a book with sports and war themes centres around a female character is also a plus point – too often these topics see males take centre stage… As with all truly great children’s books it’s one that adults will enjoy sharing too, potentially prompting grown-ups to share their own family’s history and involvement with the World Wars with their children, thus preserving those stories for another generation.” www.thatboycanteach.co.uk

“This is a thoughtful book and ideal for introducing children to the history of the First World War and would be an excellent prompt for discussion on a wide range of topics including dementia, loyalty and forgiveness.” Alibrarylady.blog

Buy Books

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.

With an extra special Christmas or birthday card from me on request!

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USA : Indigo books

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