Examining the life of ordinary soldiers during World War I, this book recalls the heroism of the young soldiers and the spirit of sympathy that grew up between the two armies as they suffered on the front line. This is a story about friends who joined the army in the midst of World War I. This is a story about friends who joined the army in the midst of World War I. Their excitement and enthusiasm begins to dampen as they are faced by two enemies, the German soldiers and the appalling conditions in which they fought. Then one Christmas Day, one by one, soldiers cautiously emerged from their trenches. At first they exchanged gifts but then a football was produced and the two sides came together to play an historical game of football on No Man's Land. Michael Foreman recalls the heroism of the young soldiers, and the spirit of sympathy that grew up between the two armies as they suffered together on the front line. This book is the Grand Prix winner of the Smarties Prize.