We Remember

In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday, I was given the idea to make a list of my favorite "Fallen Heroes" titles. While compiling the list, I realized that I have many favorite "Soldier Stories" for teens (& tweens).

In fact, I have written on the topic a few times on this blog, including this Favorite 15 post from a few years ago.

But my "favorite" titles are ever-changing as new books are constantly crossing my desk. And I have many favorite soldier/war stories but thought that I would narrow it down to American War Heroes this time.

So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite American Soldier/War Hero books for teens & tweens:





Non-Fiction

1) Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the death of NFL star turned Army Ranger hero Pat Tillman. This book will always be included on my list of favorite books, regardless of the topic.

2) Flags of our Fathers by John Bradley. There is an adapted version for younger teens/tweens if you need something slightly shorter, but either version is a look at the men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima and became a part of the iconic photograph.

3) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The WWII survival story of Louis Zamperini. The audiobook is phenomenal and would make a perfect listen for summer family road trips! Also, coming to a theater near you in December, 2014.  

4) Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone. A look at the men who made up the Triple Nickles...the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion.

5) Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng. There are many books (and movies) about these brave men, but this is the standard that I always come back to. (If you're looking for a fiction story to pair with this, Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac is perfect).

6) Pure Grit by Mary Cronk Farrell. I reviewed this book recently on the blog here.



Fiction

7) Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith. I am a fan of this author and this is an important story about a little recognized group of women who were part of the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots).

8) Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein. Yeah, this book had an American main character so it qualifies for the list! This title (and the author's Code Name Verity) are two books that I require all my friends to read. Amazing books: writing, characters, stories that drawn you in and don't let go. This book is about an American pilot captured and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp.

9) Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt. Always I come back to this book. And recommend it widely to teens and adults alike. I just love this story of two brothers, one a returning soldier, and how they are trying to heal.

10) Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. A new title this year. Nothing less than remarkable.

11) Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie. Another powerful brother story. And one that I never discovered until it made several "best" lists last year. Not sure how it slipped by my radar, but I am glad that I found it.

12 & 13) If you are looking for "series" titles, I have two great recommendations.

Walter Dean Myers writes several companion titles: Fallen Angels (Vietnam); Sunrise over Fallujah (Iraq/Afghanistan); Invasion (WWII).

Chris Lynch has a Vietnam series of four titles, each following one of a group of friends as they enter one branch of the military. You can read them in any order. He just started a WWII series (two titles so far) along the same lines.

Happy Reading!

And when you are celebrating having the day off work or school on Monday, don't forget to thank a soldier!

 

Non-Fiction Friday

Title: Pure Grit 
Author: Farrell
Genre: Non-Fiction; Survival; War
Pages: 160
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Grades: 6th and up

From the publisher:
In the early 1940s, young women enlisted for peacetime duty as U.S. Army nurses. But when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 blasted the United States into World War II, 101 American Army and Navy nurses serving in the Philippines were suddenly treating wounded and dying soldiers while bombs exploded all around them. The women served in jerry-rigged jungle hospitals on the Bataan Peninsula and in underground tunnels on Corregidor Island. Later, when most of them were captured by the Japanese as prisoners of war, they suffered disease and near-starvation for three years. The women cared for one another, maintained discipline, and honored their vocation to nurse anyone in need.

I am always on the lookout for the next great non-fiction book that I can recommend to my students. This new title (which I read an advance copy of over Christmas break) has it all: action, adventure, survival. In addition, this is a thoroughly researched narrative with first-person interviews and accounts throughout. This attention to detail and staying true to the telling of these nurses' personal stories brings the reader right into the action and immediacy of what happened. 

Much has been written about the Bataan Death March and the battles in the Philippines and on Corregidor Island during WWII. However, the story of these women and how they survived the three year ordeal is a perspective that is often missing from the history books. Credit to the author for her diligent research and well-written account. The numerous archival photographs add much to the entire reading experience.

I will be recommending this to students and teachers alike, especially our 8th graders who study WWII. An excellent example of narrative non-fiction.

Holiday Gift Ideas: Assault (Falkner)

Title: The Assault
Author: Falkner
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Aliens, War, Spies, Action
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Now, you must understand that I do not typically read straight up science fiction, the kinds with aliens, weapons, and intergalactic wars. But a middle school librarian friend recommended it, so I figured I should read it. And I am so glad that I did.

This is a terrific book for sci-fi fans of both genders, and the start of the author's new Recon Team Angel series. The fast-paced, page-turning action is non-stop. The characters are well-drawn and believable, and the story is movie-worthy. There is nothing missing from this one.

I found this fan-made book trailer that does a pretty good job explaining the book for you, so I'm going to let it do the talking. I'll just say that I am anxiously awaiting the second installment of this series!

Friday 15: Soldier Stories

Veterans Day is right around the corner, so I thought I would honor all those who have served our country by posting my Top 15 favorite books about soldiers. In no particular order:

 (1) Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. Okay, I lied about no particular order. This biography of Pat Tillman is one of my all-time favs for several reasons. One, it's Jon Krakauer, so it's well-written and completely engaging. Two, it tells not only Tillman's story, but the history of Afghanistan and the region which I think is important for everyone to understand. Is there bias in Krakauer's narrative? Sure, but the story is still one that should be read. And three, it's about a true American hero...someone I admire and hope my children will grow up to be like.

(2) The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt. Another complete favorite of mine! I spent the year this book came out recommending it to EVERYONE, adults and teens alike. Although they have never gotten along well, seventeen-year-old Levi follows his older brother Boaz, an ex-Marine, on a walking trip from Boston to Washington, D.C. in hopes of learning why Boaz is completely withdrawn. A must-read!


(3) Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grant. True, not about American soldiers, but I enjoyed this book about the Crusades. A special horse named Hosanna changes the lives of two English brothers and those around them as they fight with King Richard I against Saladin's armies during the Third Crusades. Fans of "War Horse" will want to read this series starter.





(4) Five 4th of July by Pat Hughes and Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson are two terrific novels about two young men from completely different circumstances fighting during the Revolutionary War.


(5) Kipling's Choice by Geert Spillebeen. A moving, fictionalized biography of eighteen-year-old John Kipling, son of writer Rudyard Kipling, who remembers his boyhood and the events leading up to World War I, as he lies dying on a battlefield in France.


(6) Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. When Thomas Peaceful's older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, although he is only fourteen years old, to prove himself to his country, his family, his childhood love, Molly, and himself.


The next 5 are all stories set during WWII:

(7) A Boy at War by Harry Mazer
(8) Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac (pair this with the non-fiction title Navajo Code Talkers by Nathan Aaseng)
(9) Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley (this title for adults also has a young reader's edition).
(10) Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
(11) Jump into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall

(12) is shared by two similar stories, both equally intriguing. Cracker!: the best dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata is the story of a young soldier in Vietnam and how he bonds with his bomb-sniffing German shepherd. Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock tells thirteen-year-old Mark's story after he donates his dog, Wolfie, to the Army's scout program in Vietnam, and then learns that the Army refuses to say when and if Wolfie will ever return.

(13) A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This autobiography about a boy soldier plucked from his village in Sierra Leone at the age of 13 is not for the faint of heart. But it is a powerful memoir that is the unfortunate story of many around the world.


(14) Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins. Two Burmese boys, one a Karenni refugee and the other the son of an imprisoned Burmese doctor, meet in the jungle and in order to survive they must learn to trust each other.

(15) Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am...another title by Harry Mazer (himself a Veteran). Ben leaves everything behind after graduation to enlist in the army. His convoy gets caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres.

To all our Veterans out there...THANK YOU! If you have not served, please remember to thank a Veteran on Sunday, and every day.

Review: Things a Brother Knows (Reinhardt)

Title: The Things a Brother Knows
Author: Reinhardt
Genre: Fiction, War, Brothers, Soldiers
Pages: 256
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Levi's brother Boaz has finally returned home from his tour of duty in Afghanistan.  Bo was a high school star, destined for greatness in college and beyond, and he gave it all up to join the Marines and serve his country.  Levi has spent the last several years trying to be the little brother to a hero, a distinction that he doesn't really want, because he doesn't really agree with his brother's decision.

Now that Bo has returned, Levi is hoping that his life and family will return to normal.  No such luck.  Bo is back and has been given a clean bill of health by the Marine Corp, but he is clearly suffering from post-tramatic stress disorder.  Levi just wants to help his brother be the person he used to be.  But how best to do that?  And what if Bo can never be the person that he was? 

Bo is planning a trip, a walk/march from their home in Pennsylvania to Washington, DC.  When Levi discovers what his brother is planning, he wants to go with him.  To make sure he is safe, to make sure that he is not really crazy, to make sure that he is planning to come back. 

It is this trip that is the heart of the story, and the relationship between the brothers.  This is the perfect story to talk about on the anniversary of 9/11...or any holiday where we remember those that serve our country.  I read an advance copy of this book over the 4th of July weekend, while contemplating my upcoming trip to Arlington National Cemetary.  So perhaps I was already in the mood for a book that attempts to talk about what many in this country don't want to talk about...what happens to soldiers after they come home...

Levi has two great friends that help him (and by default Bo) through this struggle.  This is a moving story about friendship, family, duty, and honor.  Although I have not had family in the military, I can imagine this is a very realistic portrayal of what homecoming is really like, after the welcome home fanfare we all see on television.  I have always been a fan of Dana Reinhardt's books, and I would recommend them all.  However, this has definitely moved to the top of the list!  An absolute MUST READ!