World War I
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-- School Library Journal, 11/13/2007
The first truly global military conflict, World War I stretched from July 1914 to November 1918, and was responsible for the death of over nine million soldiers and civilians. Much of the fighting took place in trenches, but aeronautical warfare was becoming an increasingly vital part of military strategy. Use the fiction titles below to supplement primary-source accounts of “the War to End All Wars.”
BRESLIN, Theresa. Remembrance. Delacorte. 2002. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-385-73015-0; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90067-6; pap. $6.50. ISBN 978-0-440-23778-5.
Gr 6-11–The lives of five Scottish teens are intertwined as World War I chips away at the civility of the upper class and demands even greater sacrifice from the working class. The expectations and rights of women change as the war effort demands their attention, and proper young ladies morph into suffragettes. Through loss and self-examination, the characters relay their confusion about the war.
HARTNETT, Sonya. The Silver Donkey. illus. by Don Powers. Candlewick. 2006. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2937-3; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-3681-4.
Gr 4-7–A blinded British deserter is discovered by two spunky French girls who are determined to help him make it home across the Channel. His good luck charm, a tiny silver donkey, is the source for four remarkable stories that he relates to the children and their friends. As each story unfolds, readers learn about war, peace, and hope in spite of seemingly impossible odds. Wonderful pencil illustrations add to the charm of this thought-provoking title.
HAVILL, Juanita. Eyes Like Willy’s. illus. by David Johnson. HarperCollins. 2004. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-688-13672-7; PLB $16.89. ISBN 978-0-688-13673-4.
Gr 4-9–French siblings Sarah and Guy spend time with their friend Willy, a German boy, during their vacation in Austria each summer. When war breaks out, they find themselves on opposing sides. The story follows the increasing intensity of the conflict and Guy’s enlistment, and, through his letters home to Sarah, readers learn about the brutality of war. Willy’s eventual reconciliation with his childhood friends provides a promising picture for the future.
MORPURGO, Michael. Private Peaceful. Scholastic. 2004. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-439-63648-3; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-439-63653-7.
Gr 7-12–Morpurgo is a master at capturing a sense of place and time, and he really shines in this telling of two British brothers defending the home front during World War I. Their struggles in the trenches and the battlefield are horrific, but nothing is worse than older brother Charlie’s fate at the hands of his own military. A war story and psychological thriller at the same time. For a World War I story with a twist, check out Morpurgo’s War Horse (Scholastic, 2007), told from a cavalry horse’s perspective.
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