50 Things You Should Know About the Second World War by Simon Adams: Book Review

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FTC Disclosure: Book received at no charge from publisher  to facilitate review.

So much of World War II centers around the Holocaust and the atrocities carried out by the Nazis. Over 7 million people lost their lives simply for being Jewish, Gypsy, homosexual, or disabled. Those   lives should never be forgotten. But the second World War was truly a large scale war that encompassed so much more than the front in Europe. With over 20 million lives lost in China alone from the war with Japan, young readers learn of the staggering suffering world wide.

Through real life photos, illustrations, maps and snippets of fact laid out in boxes, World War II comes alive for a new generation. The author and designers make extra effort in sensitivity of their intended audience by excluding the most graphic war photos while still illustrating the horror of second World War. They give nod to the organizations formed to try to prevent such heinous activity from happening. While the book concentrates on the causes and effects of the war on Europe, it also covers the war in the Pacific and touches on the war in Africa. A great book to introduce the middle grade reader to the second World War.

Rating ★★★★★

Publishing Information

Publisher: QEB Publishing (May 1, 2015)

Flexibound: 80 Pages 

ISBN-13-978-1609927707

Ages: 9-12

This book can be purchases at the following retailer:

Book Review: Victory on the Home Front by D. S. Grier

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As if the fighting going in during World War II wasn't enough, the tumultuous life at the MacGregor makes eleven-year-old Les want to run away. It doesn't help that the school bully has made sure nobody wants to be around him.

When his family sees his older brother James off at the train station as he heads off to join the war effort, Les uses the opportunity to escape to the one place he feels loved. His other two brothers later join him as his alcoholic parents try to pick up the pieces of their troubled life.

While the story explores the problems of a dysfunctional family and brings attention to attention deficit order in a beautiful, sensitive way, the constant shifts in points of view, sometimes several times in a chapter, can jar and confuse the reader. The young adult reader may see some of his own family in the novel but may struggle to stay fully connected to the characters.

Rating: Good to Recommended ★★★1/2

Publishing Information: 

Publisher: Windy City Publishing (March 2012)

ISBN: 9781935766148

Pages 276

Ages: 11 and up

Book can be purchased from the following retailers: