|
WEL |
Red Moon at Sharpsburg: a Novel
(age 10+) by Rosemary Wells survival ... historical ... war Publisher comments: Award-winning author Rosemary Wells lays bare the senseless devastation of war in this stunning novel. As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known. A timeless heroine of inspiring drive and bravery, India holds on to her dream of forging a career in science, unheard-of for a woman, in the face of battle, starvation, and tragic loss. Rarely has the Southern perspective on the war been told so even-handedly for young adults as in this meticulously researched, poignant, and riveting novel. |
|
CAR |
The Shepherd's Granddaughter
(age 10+) by Anne Laurel Carter bigotry ... war ... identity Publisher's comments: Ever since she was a little girl, Amani has wanted to be a shepherd, just like her beloved grandfather, Sido. For generations her family has grazed sheep above the olive groves of the family homestead near Hebron. But now Amani's family home is being threatened by encroaching Jewish settlements. As Amani struggles to find increasingly rare grazing land for her starving sheep, her uncle and brother are tempted to take a more militant stance against the settlers. Then she meets Jonathan, an American boy visiting his father. Away from the pressures of their families, and despite their differences, the two young people discover a secret meadow where Amani can graze her sheep. A moving novel about one of the most hotly disputed pieces of land on earth. |
|
SAL |
Under the Blood-Red Sun
(age 10+) by Graham Salisbury war ... identity ... friendship ... historical Publisher comments: Tomi was born in Hawaii. His grandfather and parents were born in Japan, and came to America to escape poverty. World War II seems far away from Tomi and his friends, who are too busy playing ball on their eighth-grade team, the Rats. But then Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, and the United States declares war on Japan. Japanese men are rounded up, and Tomi's father and grandfather are arrested. It's a terrifying time to be Japanese in America. But one thing doesn't change: the loyalty of Tomi's buddies, the Rats. |
|
HUN |
Warriors Super Edition (age 10+) by Erin Hunter war ... adventure ... fantasy Publisher comments: There is peace at last between the warrior Clans, and all four are thriving. Then Firestar, legendary leader of ThunderClan, discovers a shocking secret: StarClan, the warrior ancestors who guide his paw steps, have lied to him. Firestar must embark on a perilous quest to discover a long-forgotten truth. Whatever he finds at the end of his journey, he’s sure of one thing: Nothing will ever be the same again. title: Firestar's Quest |
|
PEC |
On the Wings of Heroes
(age 10+) by Richard Peck war ... growing up ... historical Davy Bowman's brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy's brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy's homefront boyhood. There's an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad's heart. It's an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry. Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Peck's very finest novels, an unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a family's love. |
|
KAD |
Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam
(age 10+) by Cynthia Kadohata historical ... adventure ... friendship ... animals ... war CRACKER IS ONE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY'S MOST VALUABLE WEAPONS: a German shepherd trained to sniff out bombs, traps, and the enemy. The fate of entire platoons rests on her keen sense of smell. She's a Big Deal, and she likes it that way. Sometimes Cracker remembers when she was younger, and her previous owner would feed her hot dogs and let her sleep in his bed. That was nice, too. Rick Hanski is headed to Vietnam. There, he's going to whip the world and prove to his family and his sergeant (and everyone else who didn't think he was cut out for war) wrong. But sometimes Rick can't help but wonder that maybe everyone else is right. Maybe he should have just stayed at home and worked in his dad's hardware store. When Cracker is paired with Rick, she isn't so sure about this new owner. He's going to have to prove himself to her before she's going to prove herself to him. They need to be friends before they can be a team, and they have to be a team if they want to get home alive. |
|
YOL |
The Devil's Arithmetic
(age 10+) by Jane Yolen identity ... war ... historical Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder ... she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942, where she becomes caught up in the tragedy of the time. |
|
KEI |
Rifles For Watie
(age 10+) by Harold Keith war ... historical Sixteen-year-old Jefferson Davis Bussey cannot wait to join the Army and defend the Union against the dreaded Colonel Watie, but when he is assigned to infiltrate the enemy camp as a spy, he discovers the rebels are boys and men just like him, and he must then decide whether to betray his enemies or join them. |
|
LAW |
Lord of the Nutcracker Men
(age 10+) by Iain Lawrence family ... historical ... war Ten-year-old Johnny eagerly plays at war with the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. He demolishes imaginary foes. But in 1914 Germany looms as the real enemy of Europe, and all too soon Johnny's father is swept up in the war to end all wars. He proudly enlists with his British countrymen to fight at the front in France. The war, though, is nothing like what any soldier or person at home expected. The letters that arrive from Johnny's dad reveal the ugly realities of combat ... and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious fights. But when these games seem to foretell his dad's real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father's fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man's land, and the outcome of the war itself. |
|
COL |
My Brother Sam is Dead
(age 10+) by James Lincoln Collier war ... family ... historical Publisher comments: All his life, Tim Meeker has looked up to his brother Sam. Sam's smart and brave, and is now a part of the American Revolution. Not everyone in town wants to be a part of the rebellion. Most are supporters of the British, including Tim and Sam's father. With the war soon raging, Tim know he'll have to make a choice ... between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats ... and between his brother and his father. |
|
HUN |
Warriors: Omen of the Stars (age 10+) by Erin Hunter war ... adventure ... fantasy Publisher comments: Four warrior Clans have shared the land around the lake as equals for many moons. But a prophecy foretells that three ThunderClan cats will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Jayfeather and Lionblaze know that they are two of the cats in the prophecy. Now the brothers must wait for a sign from StarClan to discover the identity of the third cat. Meanwhile, Dovekit and Ivykit¿kin of the great leader Firestar¿are poised to become ThunderClan apprentices. Soon one sister will have an ominous dream¿and will begin to realize that she possesses mystical skills unmatched by any other cat. In the midst of a cruel season that threatens the lives of all four warrior Clans, bonds will be forged, promises made, and three young cats will start to unravel the secrets that bind them together. title: The Fourth Apprentice title: Fading Echoes title: Night Whispers |
|
HUN |
Warriors, Power of Three Series (age 10+) by Erin Hunter war ... adventure ... fantasy In a troubled time for the Clans, three young cats, grandchildren of the legendary Firestar, begin their training as warriors and, in the course of many adventures, discover their true destiny. title: The Sight title: Dark River title: Outcast title: Eclipse title: Long Shadows title: Sunrise |
|
HUN |
The Warriors Series (age 10+) by Erin Hunter war ... adventure ... fantasy In the first book, Into the Wild, Rusty starts out as an ordinary house kitten, but his travels deep into the forest involve him in the epic battles of the cat warrior clans who roam (and rule) the wild. With a new name, Firepaw, and a position as a ThunderClan apprentice, our feline hero faces his destiny, struggles with issues of friendship, honour, courage, and betrayal, and learns what it truly means to be a warrior. title: Into the Wild title: A Dangerous Path title: The Darkest Hour title: Dawn title: Fire and Ice title: Forest of Secrets title: Sunset title: Twilight title: Midnight title: Moonrise title: Rising Storm title: Starlight title: Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans |
|
PRA |
The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy (age 10+) by Terry Pratchett action ... war ... science fiction ... humor ... adventure The alien spaceship is in his sights. His finger is on the Fire button. Johnny Maxwell is about to set the new high score on the computer game Only You Can Save Mankind. Suddenly: ``We wish to talk.'' Huh? ``We surrender.'' The aliens aren't supposed to surrender. Now what is Johnny going to do with a fleet of alien prisoners who know their rights under the international rules of war and are demanding safe-conduct? It's hard enough trying to save Mankind from the Galactic Hordes. It's even harder trying to save the Galactic Hordes from Mankind. But it's just a game, isn't it? Isn't it? title: Only You Can Save Mankind title: Johnny and the Dead |
|
O'D |
Sarah Bishop
(age 10+) by Scott O'Dell war ... survival ... family ... historical Left alone after the deaths of her father and brother who take opposite sides in the War for Independence, and fleeing from the British who seek to arrest her, Sarah Bishop struggles to shape a new life for herself in the wilderness. |
|
MER |
The Pushcart War
(age 10+) by Jean Merrill war ... humor ... enterprise A satire on modern city life depicting an outbreak of war between truck drivers and pushcart peddlers. |