Tag Archives: War

YA – Armaveni: A Graphic Novel of the Armenian Genocide

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Takvorian, Nadine. Armaveni: A Graphic Novel of the Armenian Genocide. Levine Querido, 2026. 978-1-646-14636-9. $26.99,  331 p. Grades 7-12.

This autobiographical memoir tells the difficult story of the author’s family and their experiences with the Armenian genocide, and their history in Armenia and Turkey. Set in 2001, the author describes her curiosity about her family’s history and her frustration with her parents’ reluctance to share details about what happened to her grandparents and great-grandparents. The graphic novel alternates between contemporary events (9/11 happens during the story), historical retellings (haunting flashbacks to the Armenian genocide and living in Turkey), and fantastical pages and does not sugar coat the atrocities that occurred for many. It is hard to read at times as the monochromatic illustrations and simple graphics provide a stark contrast to the devastating treatment of the Armenian people. Nadine travels to Armenia and Turkey with a church trip over the summer and learns even more about where she is from and how anti-Armenian sentiments still unfortunately exist. Through exploring her identity Nadine develops courage to be proud of her heritage and face injustice when it arises. 

THOUGHTS: I did not know very much (if anything) about the Armenian genocide and the Armenia-Turkey relationship, so this book was very poignant and informative. The Armenian genocide seems to be consistently erased and denied from history, so this book is an excellent way to bring attention to this very real and horrific tragedy that happened in the past.   

Graphic Novel

Elem./MG – Fighting For Freedom

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Fighting For Freedom. Stride, an imprint of The Child’s World, 2024. $35.64 ea. $285.12 Set of 8, 32 p. Grades 3-6. 

Adamson, Thomas K. The American Revolution. 978-1-503-88053-5. 
—. The Civil War. 978-1-503-88054-2. 
—. World War I. 978-1-503-88058-0. 
—. World War II. 978-1-503-88059-7
Streissguth, Tom. The Korean War. 978-1-503-88056-6. 
—. The Vietnam War. 978-1-503-88057-3
Winter, Max. The Afghanistan War. 978-1-503-88457-1.
Yasuda, Anita. The Gulf War. 978-1-503-88055-9.

This reviewer evaluated the titles The Gulf War and The Afghanistan War. The Gulf War begins with a “Fast Facts” chapter before beginning a clear walk through of the events in this conflict. The book covers (in simple terms) the causes of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and also the American response through Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991). It also includes stories of war heroes like Colonel David Eberly, who was held as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down. The Gulf War contains a succinct timeline, glossary, bibliography, and a hyperlink to visit more online sources curated by The Child’s World. The Afghanistan War is laid out in a similar fashion with 32 pages of information, maps, and photographs detailing the events of ‘America’s longest war’. The book ends with August 2021 when the last United States military planes fled Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Taliban returned to full strength in the country.

THOUGHTS: Both books reviewed each contain a wealth of information in their 32 pages; they are cohesive and tell a clear story about their respective conflicts. The military interventions discussed here can be complicated even for adults to understand, but the authors clearly break down the main events, people, and places to be comprehensible for upper-elementary-aged students. It is surprising that this series does not reference any current-day consequences of or comparisons to these conflicts, but the omission of current events might also make this series a more timeless purchase for school libraries. Each book in this series is a time capsule that clearly explains the subject of the book alone; the authors do not attempt to connect the historical events to our present-day. Two recommended purchases about modern (1990-2021) conflicts to bolster the military history section of upper-elementary and middle school libraries.

940.4-973.7 History

MG – Heroes

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Gratz, Alan. Heroes. Scholastic Press, 2024. 978-1-338-73607-6. $14.30. 272 p. Grades 5-8.

Frank and Stanley are living the dream being able to live at Pearl Harbor. They can sit outside under the beautiful sun while they sketch their comics. But everything changes on December 7, 1941, when they are out touring a battleship and suddenly there are Japanese planes flying overhead continuously dropping bombs on the Harbor. The boys fight to make it to shore where they are safer, but when they get to shore it is not just the bombs and torpedoes they have to be concerned about.

THOUGHTS: Alan Gratz books are always an auto-buy for me and my middle school library, and Heroes is no exception. It really helps readers put themselves into the events of Pearl Harbor and delicately and authentically touches on the racial discrimination that happened after Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Historical Fiction

MG/YA – Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out

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Almellehan, Muzoon. Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out. Alfred A Knopf, 2023. 978-1-984-85198-7. 340 p. $18.99. Grades 6-12.

Muzoon was a 14 year-old girl living a happy life in her country of Syria when the war in Syria forced her family to move to a refugee camp in Jordan. Muzoon had been focused on her education and going on to high school with hopes of college when the war changed her path. Yet this did not stop her from staying focused on her goal, for she found a way to advocate for education – primarily education for girls. She worked with UNICEF and also Malala Yousafzai to work towards the advocacy for girls. The story follows Muzoon up to the present day where she now resides in Newcastle, England and is continuing her work with education, refugees, and the rights of girls.

THOUGHTS: A powerful read about the value and importance of family, education, and strength. 

Biography

MG – Crisis in Ukraine (Series NF)

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Crisis in Ukraine. Abdo & Daughters, 2023. $24.95 ea. $99.80 set of 4. 63 p. Grades 5-8.

Britton, Tamara L. War in Ukraine. 978-1-532-19915-8.
Gieseke, Tyler. NATO.  978-1-532-19912-7.
O’Brien, Bridget. Vladimir Putin. 978-1-532-19913-4.
Wheeler, Jill C. Volodymyr Zelensky. 978-1-532-19914-1.

This reviewer evaluated the title Volodymyr Zelensky. As the current president of Ukraine while a war rages within its borders, Volodymyr Zelensky has become known throughout the world. Zelensky is the son of a computer science professor and an engineer. Growing up in Kryvyi Rih in what was then the Ukrainian Society Socialist Republic, Zelensky loved watching K.V.N., a show where contestants compete to be the funniest person. In college, he majored in law at his mother’s request, but he found he could not give up on comedy. He formed Studio Kvartal 95 and developed a show called Evening Quarter, a comedy show similar to America’s Saturday Night Live. A turning point in his acting career was on Servant of the People. The character Zelensky played was a high school history teacher turned politician. This got him more interested in government work. He decided to run for president of Ukraine, running on a platform that promised to eliminate corruption and greed. He won by a landslide. Throughout his presidency, Zelensky’s popularity decreased due to different scandals. But when Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Zelensky earned respect for refusing to leave the country while at war. His speeches and social media posts about the war have rallied a nation and inspired them to fight on.

THOUGHTS: This nonfiction is timely and relevant. The text is easy to read and includes photographs and sidebars with more information. Backmatter includes a timeline, glossary, index, and a QR code to online resources.

900s Biography and/or History

YA – Divine Rivals

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Ross, Rebecca. Divine Rivals. HarperCollins Publishers, 2023. 978-0-008-58815-1. 367 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Divine Rivals introduces us to Iris whose brother has just left to fight in a war that is being waged between gods. Iris is trying her best at home, but with their mother addicted to alcohol and her job as a writer for a newspaper not going as well as she thought it would, things look bleak. In order to make things seem a little better, she writes letters to her brother that she slips under her wardrobe. However, the person who writes her back isn’t her brother… and she isn’t exactly sure who this mysterious person is. When Iris ends up at the front lines, with her rival from the newspaper Roman, she is forced to confront lots of things she has been ignoring.

THOUGHTS: This is a great young adult fantasy that has an extremely unique plot line, with wonderfully written characters. This will appeal to lots of readers, especially fans of Sarah J. Maas or Cassandra Clare.

Fantasy

MG – I Am Kavi

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Ponweera, Thushanthi. I Am Kavi. Holiday House/Peachtree, 2023. 978-0-823-45365-8. $18.99. 224 p. Grades 5-8.

Fifth-grader Kavi has won the coveted scholarship, which enables her to attend any school in Sri Lanka that she wishes. After her soldier-father’s (Thaththa’s) death, her mother (Amma) has remarried and Kavi refuses to accept Siripala, her new stepfather. With the scholarship opportunity, Kavi wishes to whisk her mother away to a far off place, away from the relentless war. However, Amma is pregnant and says her place is at home, convincing Kavi that she is no longer loved or needed. Kavi’s aunt, Mala Nanda, works as a housekeeper to a wealthy family in Columbo, so she begrudgingly travels there to live with her mother’s older sister with the family, including their thirteen-year-old daughter, Sasha. At school, Kavi’s focus on studies drops to the wayside once she sees the dress and possessions of the popular girls. Her envy takes over and she has a willing tutor in the indulged but lonely Sasha. Kavi wins over the girls, Nethmi and Sulo, with her (borrowed) stories of a rich family and displays of modern 1990’s fashion. The charade seems to be successful until examination time when all pretense gets ripped away. This novel in verse tells a traditional coming of age story with a more international setting of Sri Lanka during the war torn years of 1997 and 1998. Handling mean girls, being the new kid, fitting into a new family configuration, and longing for popularity are universal. Doing this while witnessing soldiers walking through the streets, worshiping Buddha, and making sense of the differences between Sunhil and Tamil is new. This novel in verse gives a new spin to a familiar story.

THOUGHTS: Being true to oneself is hard if one’s life has little material objects to compare with the wealthy. Kavi takes a while to learn her lesson, but she shows real loyalty when she does. Nothing major to impress here, except a revelation of different customs, different life style, different times.

Historical Fiction  

MG – Hazard

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Dowell, Frances O’Roark. Hazard. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022. 978-1-481-42466-0. 146 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8.

Hazard Pay Stokes, or Haz as he is known to his friends and family, has found himself temporarily suspended from football over an incident with a teammate. Haz’s coach believes he needs some help with managing his anger before he is allowed back on the team. At the same time, his father has returned home from Afghanistan, which should be a happy moment for Haz. However, the reason his father came home is a tough one for the entire family, especially for Haz’s dad who has to live with the consequences of what happened in Afghanistan. Even though Haz believes therapy isn’t going to help him work through his feelings, he decides to play along and complete the assignments anyway and does in fact start to work through all of the tough emotions brewing inside of him.

THOUGHTS: Told through a series of emails, texts, reports, and assignments, the reader gets a close look at the events through Haz’s point of view. Haz’s lyrical way with words will keep the reader engaged. The topic and the format of the writing will appeal to more reluctant middle grade readers, especially boys.

Realistic Fiction          Danielle Corrao, Manheim Central SD

MG – Lines of Courage

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Nielsen, Jennifer A. Lines of Courage. Scholastic Press, 2022. 978-1-338-62093-1. 388 p. $17.99. Grades 4-8.

This historical fiction novel takes place during World War I. The story is told through the voices of five children who are experiencing the war from different perspectives. The story starts with the voice of young Felix in Austia-Hungary as he witnesses the assassination of the Archduke which triggers the start of the war. The book is divided into five sections and is told in chronological order through the the voices of the children. Their stories become intertwined as they try to make sense of this war that they have been forced to grow in. The novel comes to a conclusion with Felix as the final storyteller.

THOUGHTS: This book is for students who are drawn to historical fiction. The characters are well-written, and the action is fast-paced. It is good to see a book focused on World War I which does not get as much attention as other historical time periods.

Historical Fiction          Victoria Dziewulski, Plum Borough SD

Elem. – War

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Letria, Jose Jorge. War. Greystone Kids, 2021. 978-1-771-64726-7. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades 4 -6.

With sparse words and dark pen and ink drawings, Jose Jorge and Andre Letria offer a haunting portrayal of war. The book imparts a strong sense of unease and sorrow with war being depicted as a non-feeling, cold presence delighting in the misery of the citizens it affects. The work delivers a powerful anti-war message, examining the sobering human impact of the ravages of war. A picture book best saved for older grades. 

THOUGHTS: Could be used in conjunction with a unit on the Holocaust. 

Picture Book          Nancy Summers,   Abington SD