Friend or Foe? : 1916: Which Side are You on?

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

It's time to choose: friendship, family or loyalty to the cause.When Emer Davey saves her neighbour Jack Madigan from drowning, it seems that they will be friends forever. But eight months later, they find themselves on opposite sides in a life-or-death struggle, as Dublin is torn apart by the Easter Rising.Emer's father is an officer in the Irish Volunteers who believes that armed rebellion is the only way to gain independence from Britain. His daughter has inherited his passion and is determined to help the rebels in any way she can.Jack's dad is a sergeant in the Dublin Metropolitan Police. They share a deep respect for the law and are sure that Home Rule can be achieved through peaceful politics and helping with the war effort. These two young friends find their loyalties challenged as the terrifying reality of war sets in - and the Rising hits closer to home than either could have imagined. 'Beautiful writing' Sunday Independent on Stormclouds

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Kirkus Book Review

Friends from opposite sides unite during Ireland's Easter Rising, 1916. Twelve-year-olds Emer and Jack are part of a gang of children growing up on the same middle-class street in Dublin. They share a platonic but very close friendship despite their families' radically different political views. Emer's father, an officer in the rebel group the Irish Volunteers, strongly supports the cause of Irish independence from Great Britin, while Jack's father, a Dublin police officer, believes Ireland should remain loyal to the crown. Irish casualties in what is seen as an English fightWorld War Iadd stress to both sides, and on Easter Monday, 1916, Emer's father joins in armed battle against Jack's. Emer proudly joins the Volunteers as a runneruntil she learns that Jack's dad has been captured and is slated to die. Gallagher floats between Jack's and Emer's points of view, carefully and somewhat leisurely painting a nuanced portrait of the arguments for and against Home Rule. This occupies the first two-thirds of the book, which takes place over five months, which then switches into action mode for the last 60 pages, which take place over two days. He lets readers draw their own conclusions about the political issues while showing that friendship remains more important than law. A lovely and well-written novel whose appeal stateside may be limited by American readers' unfamiliarity with this historic event. (Historical fiction. 8-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.