 First edition | |
| Author | Robert Westall |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's historical novel, war story |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 18 September 1975 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover; paperback) |
| Pages | 189 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0333186443 |
| OCLC | 2186118 |
| LC Class | PZ7.W51953 Mac3[1] |
| Followed by | Fathom Five |
The Machine Gunners is a children's historical novel by Robert Westall, published by Macmillan in 1975. Set in northeastern England shortly after the Battle of Britain (February 1941), it features children who find a crashed German aircraft with a machine gun and ammunition; they build a fortress and capture and imprison a German gunner. The author also wrote a play based on the book, and others have adapted it for television and radio. A sequel, Fathom Five, set two years later, was published in 1979.
Westall won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's outstanding children's book by a British subject,[2] and Machine Gunners was named one of the top ten Medal-winning works for the 70th anniversary celebration in 2007, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite.[3]