About This Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

The story of a Christmas miracle during World War I, by two-time Newbery Honor author Jim Murphy.

On July 29, 1914, the world's peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austro-Hungarian empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed to war. Soon most of Europe was fighting in this calamitous war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, World War I.

But who could have guessed that on December 25 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their "enemies?"

Praise for Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting

* "Murphy’s research is impeccable, and his use of primary sources is both seamless and effective. An excellent addition to middle and high school libraries, this affecting book has a place in history curricula as well." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "Murphy's excellent telling of this unusual war story begins with an account of the events that led to WWI and follows the shift in the soldiers’ mind-sets from the feverish rush to join before the war ended to the painful realization that no end was in sight. Well organized and clearly written, this presentation vividly portrays the context and events of the Christmas Truce." — Booklist, starred review

"Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, from letters home, diaries and recollections of combatants to archival photographs and prints, the author allows the principles to speak: Spectacular." — Kirkus, starred review

"The historical background Murphy provides gives the truce emotional resonance; his subsequent, concise summary of the next four years of carnage is all the more sobering in contrast." — Horn Book Review

About the Authors or Illustrators

Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy is celebrated for his engaging and carefully researched nonfiction for young readers. His more than thirty-five books include two Newbery Honor Books, The Great Fire and An American Plague (which also won the Sibert Award), and Blizzard!, which was named a Sibert Honor Book.

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