Every week we are featuring one of the brilliant books in the running for the 2013 Guardian children's fiction prize. This week it's A World Between Us by Lydia Syson, an exciting tale of friendship and romance set during the Spanish civil war.
What's the book about?
Seventeen-year-old Felix is appalled by the actions of the Blackshirts in London and longs to do something meaningful. She is also keen to escape from the limited expectations of home and a complicated romance which leaves her unsure of what to do next. Drawn to the cause of the Spanish Civil war, she heads to Spain to volunteer for the International Brigade. Immediately, everything she has taken for granted is challenged as she finds herself working as a nurse in dangerous situations in which every action counts. Friendship and romance provide the escape and a different reality for Felix and her young companions in an unflinching and thrilling story which captures the chaos, action, moral choices and curious romance of war.
Now's your chance to read the book, hear from the author, write a review - and enter our young critics' prize.
Find out more about the book
Read an extract from A World Between Us
Lydia Syson sets the scene for A World Between Us
Interview: site member ellathebookworm interviews Lydia Syson about A World Between Us and her writing
Discover Lydia Syson's top 10 historical novels
Buy A World Between Us at the Guardian bookshop at a discount
Write your review!
The Young Critics competition is for all young readers to share their views on any of the longlisted books. Anyone under 16 can enter by writing a review of no more than 200 words of one of the books longlisted for the prize. Individuals or school classes can enter and there are great prizes to be won.
You can find out more and enter here.
Two of the Guardian's top children's books critics, Philip Ardagh and Linda Buckley-Archer have given some great advice on writing book reviews. And, of course, it must all be your own work. If you decide to quote from anybody else's review, then you MUST credit them.
Or comment!
If you'd just like to share a quick comment about the book, email it to childrens.books@guardian.co.uk and we'll add it to this page
Find out more about the Guardian children's fiction prize book club
Next week's book: David Almond's The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas
