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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Review: Catherine's War

Catherine's War by Julia Billet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had really high hopes for this book because I love reading about World War II, the Holocaust, and the French Resistance. I just knew that a graphic novel about a French Jewish girl taking on a fake identity during WWII would be right up my alley. Catherine's War was originally a novel written in French. It has since been translated and adapted into a graphic novel. While the illustrations were beautiful, I think the story probably suffered in the adaptation. It felt like the plot jumped around too quickly, which meant there wasn't enough time to develop the characters and their relationships. I was honestly disappointed in the story, but I'm hopeful that I wouldn't feel that way after reading the original novel. If you teach WWII, this book would be a fine addition to your literature circles or book clubs, especially for struggling readers. However, I wouldn't recommend this book for upper elementary students. While there is no outright sexual content, there is a scene where French women are getting their heads shaved because they slept with German soldiers. Thes women are referred to as sluts and whores. I think that scene alone makes this book more appropriate for middle schoolers and up.

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Review: Skylark and Wallcreeper

Skylark and Wallcreeper by Anne O'Brien Carelli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you enjoy historical fiction, then you must read this book. Having spent time in France during college and loving all things French, I will never turn down the opportunity to read a book that involves my favorite destination. Many people will tell you that this book is about the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and World War II. Those two events don't seem to fit together, but O'brien has magically woven them together.

Lily's grandmother is evacuated from her nursing home during Hurricane Sandy to an armory. Lily decides to stay with her grandmother because it will be safer than returning home but also because she is worried about her. The story alternates from Lily's perspective to that of her grandmother, Colette, as a child living in the south of France during World War II. Colette is part of the French resistance and takes on very dangerous missions. During the chapters about Colette, we see a side of Lily's grandmother that she has never seen.

After Lily loses her grandmothers favorite pen, she goes on a search to find it. During this search, Lily discovers the truth about Colette's childhood. While this book takes place during two very important events, I would tell you that this book is about the love of family. It's about doing all you can to make sure those you love are happy and safe. While Lily has always loved and respected her grandmother, finding out about her grandmother's past makes her realize that Colette is the bravest person she's ever met; this frail old woman is truly a hero.

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Review: Resistance

Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I finished reading this book last night, the first word that came to mind was WOW. This historical fiction novel follows Polish Jews who are part of a resistance movement against the Nazis during WWII. Chaya is a sixteen-year-old courier; her job is to sneak food and supplies into the ghettos, but she also sneaks people out of the ghetto. Thanks to her looks and language skills, she can easily blend in with Polish Christians, so German soldiers often don't think twice about letting her into the ghettos "to sell scarves."

When Esther joins Chaya's resistance group, Chaya is very unimpressed with her. She can't possibly understand what she will offer their group. Esther is timid and makes lots of mistakes. Eventually, Chaya learns to trust Esther, and they become like sisters. They take their fight to the Warsaw ghetto right as it is about to be heavily attacked by the Nazis. Their mission is to save as many Jews as possible while making the world take notice of their resistance.

This novel accurately depicts the atrocious living conditions in the Jewish ghettos. It is violent without being gory. While it may be difficult for students to stomach, I think Resistance is a necessary read. It seems that history is repeating itself far too often. Students and adults alike need to learn from the past so that there will be hope for a more peaceful future. In her closing, Jennifer A. Nielsen says that "love is the resistance." I hope this book will inspire students not to blindly follow or believe what someone tells them; I think one of the greatest takeaways from this novel is to stand up and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, whether that be because they are too weak, too scared, or too hopeless. There is always hope. There is always a cause or a person worth fighting for. Don't be a sheep "who goes like lambs to the slaughter."

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Review: Tight

Tight by Torrey Maldonado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I was reading this book, I was reminded of many students I've taught in the past. Those students really could have used a book like this in their lives. Many of them grew up in similar situations to the main character, Bryan: a home in the projects, a parent in and out of jail, and struggling to figure out where they belong. So often, I could see those students straggling an invisible line: they could be smart and well-behaved around certain classmates and teachers, but around peers from home, they had to be so hard. I think that many of those students probably worried about their friends and family thinking they were trying to be better than them by doing well in school and trying to have a different future. I hated seeing them have that internal struggle. I can only recall one student who was adamant that he was going to make a better life for himself, and I hope he did.

Bryan has a very similar internal struggle; he longs for peace and quiet in a very loud and unpredictable environment. His dad often lets his temper get the best of him, and it has put him in jail more than once. Bryan doesn't want to be like his dad, but at the same time, he doesn't want his dad to think he's soft. He pushes himself out of his comfort zone with his new friend Mike who encourages him to do things that aren't exactly legal. Bryan's parents think Mike is a good friend, but they don't see Mike's wild side. When Bryan befriends Big Will, he realizes that there are other kids like him who value peace and calmness. He has to make a difficult decision: stay friends with Mike because they've been so tight or bounce because Mike isn't who he thought he was.

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Review: Nowhere Boy

Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nowhere Boy is the story of two boys living in Brussels, Belgium; Max is an American expat who is extremely unhappy with his parents for uprooting their family, and Ahmed is a Syrian refugee who has lost his entire family. Their story takes place during a tumultuous time in Europe, so readers will relive terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. With no family and no place to go, Ahmed finds himself living in the wine cellar of Max's family's basement.

While Max is miserable in his new school, Ahmed daydreams of being able to climb over the wall of Max's yard and walk to school like any other normal teenager. Max eventually discovers Ahmed in his basement, and they form a very unlikely friendship. Max risks everything to help Ahmed. He sneaks downstairs every night to bring him food and books to read. He even goes so far as to forge illegal documents to help Max attend his school. Unfortunately, a nosy police officer is constantly stopping by Max's house, so the boys live in fear that Ahmed will be discovered and deported.

The chapters are very short and alternate between Max and Ahmed's perspectives; however, the novel itself is fairly long: 353 pages to be exact. Students with low reading stamina may struggle to make it to the end of this novel. This book would pair well with Refugee by Alan Gratz; both novels compare the way Syrian refugees are being treated to the way Jewish people were treated during the Holocaust. Readers will see that even though it may be hard and scary to stand up for those who are being mistreated, doing nothing is not alright. This book will be more meaningful for older readers who are beginning to take interest in the world around them. If you know readers who are interested in current events or politics, I would definitely recommend this book to them. I would also put this book in the hands of any child who needs a lesson in empathy. Nowhere Boy is a worthwhile, meaningful read.

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Review: Grenade

Grenade by Alan Gratz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alan Gratz has historical fiction down pat. He makes events from the past come to life for his readers, and his latest novel, Grenade, is no exception. This story takes place on Okinawa during WWII and is told in the alternating perspectives of a young Okinawan boy, Hideki, and an American Marine, Ray.

Hideki is given two grenades and charged with using one to kill as many Americans as possible and using the other to kill himself. Ray is the son of a WWI vet, so he has seen what war can do to a man. He doesn't want to become used to killing Japanese soldiers and Okinawan civilians, but he has to in order to survive. Hideki doesn't want to become a monster like the Japanese and American soldiers that he is constantly trying to avoid.

This novel truly shows war for what is: death, death, and more death. There are scenes of Okinawan civilians committing mass suicide, body parts being blown off, etc. It's certainly not a lighthearted read. Know your younger students before handing this book to them. Grenade would be a great addition to WWII text sets. I would recommend this book for mature 5th grade students and above. I can see high school history teachers using this book to highlight a battle that students don't typically learn about (at least I didn't).

I loved the alternating perspectives in Refugee; they were so necessary for that book because they helped hammer home the point that history keeps repeating itself. I honestly would have preferred for Grenade to be solely from Hideki's point of view. Ray's story serves a purpose; it shows that both sides really don't want to be fighting and that they all had identities separate from being a soldier. However, I felt like his chapters disrupted the flow for me; I read part two much quicker because it was only in Hideki's point of view. While Grenade may not be as thought-provoking or self-convicting as Refugee, it does offer a front-row seat to the destructive nature of war.


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