The war of Jenkins' ear - Michael Morpurgo

Toby Jenkins, a quiet, homesick boy, always hates going back to his boarding school at the start of term. This term he forms a friendship with a new boy, Simon Christopher, who confides a great secret in him. Simon tells Toby he is the next Jesus and Toby becomes his first disciple. Whether Simon is who he says or not, he instils in his friends a belief in themselves and they find life suddenly begins to go their way. Then things start to turn ugly. There has always been rivalry between the 'toffs' at school and the 'oiks' in the village, and this escalates into open fighting. Simon and his disciples vow to end the violence, and finally succeed, but at a terrible price. In powerful closing scenes, Simon's claim to be Christ is discovered by the staff, he is expelled and the group is humiliated before their school. In a sudden final twist, we learn just as Simon Christopher leaves that a girl he couldn't seem to heal has just begun to get better.