Review: Allies

Allies by Alan Gratz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I think of Alan Gratz, I think of amazing historical fiction novels, and his upcoming book, Allies, is no exception. Gratz weaves together multiple stories, which all take place within one 24 hour period: D-Day. The book is divided into different operations, but as always, the characters within each operation connect in various ways throughout the book. We first meet Dee, a young "American" who is actually a German ex-patriot, fighting beside his best friend Sid who happens to be Jewish and does not know Dee's true identity. Gratz also introduces us to a Canadian soldier who enlisted after his town held a mock invasion by the Nazis. Another operation features a young Algerian-French girl whose mother is taken away by Nazi soldiers while trying to deliver a message to members of the French Resistance. One thing remains constant within the different operations: the characters are all young and scared; they all fear that this day may be their last one on Earth, but they all face their fears head-on because they know that the success of D-Day depends on each one of them and the success of their respective operations.

During my study abroad in France, I had the opportunity to visit Normandy; we toured the beaches where Allied soldiers landed and stood on the cliffs above German bunkers. Those beaches and cliffs are some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Standing in those picturesque spots, it's impossible to fathom the hell that Allied soldiers endured while storming those beaches. I wasn't able to visualize the atrocities of that day until I watched the first fifteen minutes of Saving Private Ryan, and Gratz's words reminded me of scenes from that movie. His novel does not shy away from the raw violence that took place on that horrible day during World War II, so it is most appropriate for 5th grade and up. If you teach WWII, Allies needs to be added to your classroom library.

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