113. Stranger on the Home front

Stranger on the Home Front. Maya Chhabra. 2021. [January] 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Margaret Singh and her family were late, as usual. They came to Stockton from San Francisco every year for the festival, and every year they got lost somewhere between the train station and the gurdwara. Margaret’s stomach rumbled, but there wouldn’t be any food till they got there. Father stopped a couple of passersby to ask for directions. “Excuse me, do you know where the Sikh temple is?” One of the strangers looked like he was going to say something impatient, but then he caught sight of Margaret and Mother. He looked at them curiously, as if putting two and two together—Father, the clean-shaven East Indian, wearing a hat rather than a turban; Mother, the white woman; and Margaret, their daughter. Margaret had watched people go through this process a thousand times. A man from India with a white wife was an unusual sight in California. 

Premise/plot: Stranger on the Home Front is historical fiction; it is set in California roughly 1916 through 1918 or possibly 1919. The heroine, Margaret, is the daughter of an Indian immigrant. Her father strongly desires independence for India. But how far will he go to support a revolution or break from British rule? The book isn't solely about her father's dream for India. Largely it is about Margaret's desire to truly belong--just as she is--within her community, her school, her country. 

Margaret has a best friend, Bettina, is of German descent and things are getting rough for her as well. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. It does bring back memories of the Dear America series. (I think this is a good thing.) It is set during World War I. (The two world wars are of special interest to me). I like the focus on home life and school life. It does include a glossary at the beginning of the novel. 

 

 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers

53. Time School: We Will Remember Them

Time School: We Will Remember Them. Nikki Young. 2020. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy] [j fiction; speculative fiction; time travel; history; World War I]

First sentence: “Has anyone ever asked where you come from? Do you know? Mr Mundair?” “Yes, Miss. I came from Kirkshaw this morning.” Ash Mundair. Already firmly established as the class joker within the first few weeks of the Year Sevens beginning their secondary school careers.

Premise/plot: Four friends: Jess, Nadia, Tomma, and Ash find themselves running late for school one day--they catch the morning train--just barely. But they sit in the last car, something they've never done before. They soon notice that all is not as it should be! Their train is now a STEAM TRAIN. The destination remains the same--the village where their school is located. But they've gone BACK IN TIME.

What was Hickley School like in 1918?!?!

 My thoughts: I love, love, love, love, love time travel stories. I do. I would recommend this one to anyone who loves time travel stories OR to those with an interest in world war I.


© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers

45. War Is Over

War Is Over. David Almond. David Almond. Illustrated by David Litchfield.  2018/2020. Candlewick Press. [Source: Review copy] [Children's Book; Historical fiction; world war I; world at war]

First sentence: John first saw Jan, the German boy, on the day of the visit to the munitions factory.

Premise/plot: John, our young hero, barely remembers his father who is away fighting in the Great War (aka World War I). His mother--like many other mothers, many other women--is working at a factory. John's mother is working at a munitions factory. John is told by many different people, many different times that he too is at war though he is but a child. He is being told that he should hate his enemies--the Germans--and pray for their destruction and the end of the war. But John has a hard time putting this into action. Aren't the Germans people too? Don't the German soldiers have little boys and girls at home? Don't the German wives miss their husbands? John isn't the only one questioning the war...others of all ages are protesting too.

My thoughts: The text itself doesn't explicitly say that this is set in England during the first world war--1914-1918. It wasn't until I was reading the summary on GoodReads that it was confirmed that it definitely was World War I. I was hoping that this was the case. Because if it was about the second world war, I would have had MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR issues. What we do learn from the text is that the enemy is Germany.

I wouldn't say this is my least favorite war book with the "agenda" that WAR IS BAD and that no war is worth fighting or justifiable. (I'm not pro-war. I'm just not anti-war. I think sometimes war is the last and only solution. In other words, some wars are sometimes mostly justifiable.) Knowing that it is specifically about World War I, helped me calm down from my initial reaction.

Quotes:

“They are German children, children. I have been there. I have seen them. They are children, just like you. They have fathers, they have brothers, they have sisters, they have mothers just like you.” Then he was down on the ground and the papers were scattered and the men were punching and kicking and McTavish was guiding the children away. “There are no monsters!” yelled Gordon in a strangled voice. “There are only lies! There is no need for war!” 

© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers

19. Fever Year

Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918. Don Brown. 2019. 96 pages. [Source: Review] [Graphic Novel; Historical; World War I]

First sentence: America was at war.

Premise/plot: Fever Year is a nonfiction narrative in graphic novel format. It tells the story of the killer flu (aka Spanish flu) which devastated the world is 1918/1919. There are no central characters, it just follows the spread of the flu and its effect on communities. It is well researched. The speech bubbles in red are direct quotes.

My thoughts: I have read adult nonfiction on this subject. I find it fascinating and horrifying in equal doses. It’s scary to read about such a deadly and contagious flu.

The adult read was a bit more compelling. I’ll have to search my blog archives and try to find the title so I can possibly reread. But this one was great for the middle grade audience.

There were definitely not any nonfiction graphic novels when I was young. You were lucky if a book had eight illustrations and slightly larger print.

I would not have read this one as a kid—I scared super easy. But as an adult I enjoyed it.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers