''Postcards from No Man's Land'' is a young-adult novel by Aidan Chambers, published by Bodley Head in 1999. Two stories are set in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

during 1994 and 1944. One features 17-year-old visitor Jacob Todd during the 50-year commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, in which his grandfather fought; the other features 19-year-old Geertrui late in the German occupation of the Netherlands. It was the fifth of six novels in the series Chambers calls "The Dance Sequence", which he inaugurated in 1978 with '' Breaktime''."The Dance Sequence"
''Aidan Chambers'', Aidan Chambers. Retrieved 2012-07-28. Chambers won the annual Carnegie Medal, from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...

, recognising the year's best children's book by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. In 2001 ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' named it one of ten books recommended for teenage boys, and called it a "seriously good and compulsively readable novel that spans 50 years and two interwoven stories of love, betrayal and self-discovery"."10 reads for the teenage bloke"
''The Guardian'', 9 October 2001. ''Postcards from No Man's Land'' was first published in the U.S. by Dutton in 2002. There it won the

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...

from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

recognising the year's best book for young adults."Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books"

Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

. ALA. Retrieved 2012-09-05. The Printz Award, inaugurated for 1999 publications, is the premier ALA award for young adult literature. Unlike the Newbery Medal for children's books, it is open to non-U.S. authors and to "old" books newly published in the U.S. WorldCat reports that ''Postcards'' is the work by Chambers most widely held in participating libraries, by a wide margin. One library catalogue record recommends ''Postcards'' for American " senior high school" students and the British librarians call it a "sophisticated book for older teenagers. Issues of

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

and

sexual identity Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in terms of to whom one is romantically and/or sexually attracted.
''Sex ...

are raised. This is an emotionally and intellectually challenging book and one that lingers in the mind."

Notes

References

External links

* —immediately, first US edition
Reviews of ''Postcards from No Man's Land''
reprinted by the author {{Michael L. Printz Award Winners 1999 British novels 1999 children's books British young adult novels Children's historical novels Novels set during World War II Carnegie Medal in Literature winning works Michael L. Printz Award-winning works Novels set in Amsterdam Fiction set in 1944 The Bodley Head books