Tag Archives: 1939-1945

Elem. – Mira and Baku

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Truuvert, Sara. Mira and Baku. Illustrated by Michelle Theodore. Annick Press, 2023. 978-1-773-21756-7. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades K-3.

Mira’s Papa has been absent for quite awhile, but he has never missed her birthday before. However, when her birthday is only five days away, her mother tells her that Papa won’t be back for it. Mira is extremely upset by this news, so she asks Baku, her imaginary friend (and a creature from Japanese folklore), to help her find Papa. Together, they fly over mountains, fields, oceans, and villages. Throughout their travels, they discover clues as to Papa’s whereabouts, such as their abandoned house and his abandoned shop. As they search for Papa, Mira relives many fond memories of collecting stones with her father. Finally, her birthday arrives, along with a surprise. Although Papa is unable to be there in person, he has found a way to let Mira know she is loved. Colorful illustrations of the Canadian countryside are interspersed with more neutral, washed out spreads that reflect Mira’s somber mood. Back matter includes an author’s note describing Japanese Canadian internment in more detail, as well as a list of websites where readers can find more information on the topic.

THOUGHTS: Young children will probably need some background information and guidance to fully understand why Mira’s Papa is absent (he is being held in an internment camp). However, this book will resonate with any child experiencing family separation, whether their family member is in the military, incarcerated, or deceased. Mira’s way of coping with her father’s absence (turning to Baku and reminiscing about the happy times) could potentially provide comfort to other children who are experiencing a similar separation.

Picture Book

Elem. – Love Is in the Air: The Story of Aviation Pioneer Nancy Harkness Love

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Romito, Dee. Love Is in the Air: The Story of Aviation Pioneer Nancy Harkness Love. Illustrated by Vivian Mineker. Aladdin, 2023. 978-1-534-48419-1. $18.99. Grades K-3. Unpaged.

When Nancy Harkness Love was just sixteen years old, she took an airplane ride that changed her life. She decided then and there that she wanted to learn how to fly. Nancy faced many obstacles in the field of aviation, but she ultimately earned her commercial pilot’s license and changed the course of history when she advocated for women to ferry airplanes for the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII. She went on to lead 28 other women as squadron commander of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, which merged with another organization to become the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The program was eventually shut down when men took their ferrying jobs back post-war, but Nancy and her fellow WASP members accomplished a great deal for women’s rights in America and were eventually granted veteran status. Pleasant, cartoon-like illustrations accompany this straightforward biography about an important female pilot in our nation’s history. Back matter includes an author’s note, black and white photographs of Nancy, and a list of sources.

THOUGHTS: The message in this picture book biography is clear: girls can persevere and accomplish anything they set their minds to, even if they face obstacles along the way. Pair this with other titles about female pilots, such as Meghan Browne’s Dorothy the Brave (2022), Emily McCully’s Taking Off: Airborne with Mary Wilkins Ellis, and/or Julie Leung’s The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee (2021).

921 Biography
940.54 Military History of World War II    

YA – The Blood Years

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Arnold, Elana K. The Blood Years. Balzer + Bray, 2023. 978-0-062-99085-3. 390 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

Based on events in the life of her own grandmother, Elana K. Arnold’s The Blood Years is a masterful and deeply moving work of historical fiction for teens. Spanning the years from 1939 to 1945, it follows the experiences of Frederieke Teitler’s teenage years in her beloved hometown of Czernowitz, Romania. “Rieke” lives with her depressive mother and headstrong older sister Astra (their father has abandoned the family) until her beloved grandfather, Opa, brings them to his apartment. It is the first of many times that Opa will shield Rieke from life’s cruelties. First introduced as a typical thirteen-year old attending school and dance classes with Astra, Rieke goes on to experience the stripping away of Jewish peoples’ rights as she moves through her teen years. Her situation changes dramatically as first the Russians and then the Germans occupy her city, and as a persistent cough leads to a dire diagnosis. As the circumstances in Czernowitz worsen for Jews, Opa’s ability to shelter his girls is pushed to the limit.

THOUGHTS: In her latest novel, Arnold truly proves that what is most personal is also most universal. The dehumanization of Jewish people during WWII is portrayed through the experiences of one young woman; Rieke’s trauma and resilience will not soon be forgotten by readers.

Note: The Blood Years contains anti-Semitic slurs and depictions of sexual assault.

Historical Fiction

MG – War and Millie McGonigle

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Cushman, Karen. War and Millie McGonigle. Alfred A. Knopf, 2021. 210 p. 978-1-984-85010-2. $16.99.  Grades 4-6.

Mollie McGonigle is a twelve year old girl who lives with her family in San Diego. It is the autumn of 1941 and with war raging in Europe, Millie worries that the conflict will come to California. The young girl is grieving for her grandmother, who died on Millie’s birthday. Her grandmother’s gift was a diary, and she suggested that Millie “use [it] to remember the good things in this world…things that seem lost or dead-keep them alive and safe in your book.” Millie interprets this to mean that she should keep a list of dead things and explores the beach and neighborhood to find or hear about something to write down. When not looking after her younger asthmatic sister and energetic brother or doing chores, Millie finds time to be with her friend Rosie from Chicago, who is temporarily living with relatives. Then, Pearl Harbor is attacked, and Millie becomes even more alarmed about a possible invasion, as do others in the town. With Rosie’s help, Millie comes to terms with her anxiety about the world and the loss of her grandmother, realizing that “whatever is lost stays alive when we remember it.”

THOUGHTS: This novel explores the effects of grief and anxiety about a world turned upside down. The story is not all doom and gloom, as Cushman has included some comic relief in characters like Aunt Edna and MeToo. Millie is a likeable character and readers who enjoy books about sensitive issues and friendship will like this one.

Historical Fiction          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

MG – The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II

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Rosen, Michael. The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II. Candlewick, 2020. 9781536212891. 128 p. $16.99. Grades 5-8.

The Missing tells one man’s quest to find more information on his family that has been spread across multiple countries and just as many assumptions on what happened to some of the family members after the war. The short chapter book is written in chronological order, and most chapters end with a poem or part of a poem written by the author. Although a lot of specific information regarding World War II, especially from an English perspective, will be novel to most readers, most of it is specific to the author and his family. The abridged poems fit nicely with the topic covered in the previous chapter and are moving. In fact, the poetry could probably stand along as a more moving piece of literature, instead of including the granular details of uncovering the history of the Rosen family. The language is simplistic and the content is covered in a way that is not traumatic for young readers. Most helpful is the list of further reading at the end of the book, as well as some photos, including some letters.

THOUGHTS: In an already rather overpopulated genre, this title is recommended strictly for upper elementary or middle school libraries who feel a need to expand on their World War II collection.

940 Holocaust          Samantha Hull, Ephrata Area SD

MG – War Stories

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Korman, Gordon.  War Stories.  Scholastic Press, 2020.  978-1-338-29020-2.  231 p. $15.67. Grades 3-6.

No matter how many times his father tells him that war is not a video game, 12-year old Trevor Firestone refuses to believe it. Not when his video game seems to line up with what his great grandfather has told him about his experiences in World War II. So when his G.G. has an opportunity to return to France as the guest of honor at a celebration commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the victory in Europe, Trevor can’t wait to tag along. But even before they leave the United States, there are hints that G.G.’s time in France was not as described.  It seems some people remember him differently and would rather he did not return for his hero’s welcome because they see him as anything but a hero. With chapters alternating between present day and 1944, Korman increases the tension the closer Trevor and his family get to Sainte-Régine. G.G.’s stories of war, which had always seemed so exciting to Trevor, start to turn somber, and when the truth is revealed, Trevor will have a better understanding of the price of war.

THOUGHTS: Korman does an excellent job of taking the glamour out of war for students who may experience it only through video games. Ultimately, this is a well-told story about the importance of family.

Realistic Fiction          Melissa Johnston, North Allegheny SD