Skip to main content

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944
D-Day:  The Invasion of Normandy, 1944
by Rick Atkinson with Kate Waters
Henry Holt, 2014.  202 pgs.  Nonfiction

     Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer prize winning author of the World War II Liberation Trilogy books, has, with the assistance of Kate Waters, adapted the final volume in the series to create this fine book about D-Day for young people.  Since this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, this is a particularly good time to introduce young people to one of the most significant battles in history, and Atkinson/Waters do a fine job of it.  The book begins with helpful charts and lists of map legends, the nations involved, and their governmental and military leaders, and a timeline of World War II.  As the narrative unfolds,  Atkinson does his usual fine job of mingling overview with specific recollections of soldiers who were there.  Young people should be interested to learn of the Allies' meticulous efforts to mislead the Axis about when and where the invasion would take place, including inflatable tanks, and humbled by the sorrows of the battle itself, and the courage of those who fought. This is as fine a one-volume history of D-Day for young people as I have ever seen--nothing is dumbed down, and the book is both horrifying and inspiring. Recommended for fifth grade and up.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: We're All Gonna Die-Nosaur!

We’re All Gonna Die-nosaur! By Kon Tan  New York: Disney Hyperion, 2025. Intermediate. 157 pages.  Pterry (the “p” is silent) pterodactyl is a worry wart. Pterry is worried about flying (he doesn’t how to fly yet), dinosaurs going extinct (he had a scary dream), and how to protect his family (he has a little brother who hasn’t fully hatched from an egg yet). Even though there is a lot of feels for Pterry, this is actually quite a funny book. Pterry tries to learn how to fly with kites as his “training wheels” and his brother who is inside an egg is quite the adventurer.  This is a funny, heart-felt comic-like intermediate fiction book that will be great for many readers. If kids love dinosaurs, this book is for them. If kids like funny graphic novels, this book is for them. If kids want to read something about facing fears and doing things even though they don’t always want to, this book is for them. Plus, even though Pterry does a lot of things on his own, he still has s...