Soldier Boys
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Soldier Boys

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04  ·  rating details  ·  561 ratings  ·  144 reviews
Spencer Morgan And Dieter Hedrick, one American, one German, are both young and eager to get into action in the war. Dieter, a shining member of the Hitler Youth movement, has actually met the "Fuhrer" himself and was praised for his hard work. Now he is determined to make it to the front lines, to push back the enemy and defend the honor of the Fatherland.

Spence

...more
Hardcover, 159 pages
Published December 1st 2001 by Atheneum (first published 2001)
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Susannah
Susannah rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: Anyone
Recommended to Susannah by: Juliana
This book had a really profound effect on me. Spencer demonstrated what it means to be a true Christian. The fact that a 16 year old boy is willing to show such humanity towards his "enemy" is very touching. I cried when I read the last page. Spencer started out as an innocent young boy who wanted to become an illustrious and famous soldier to impress a girl. He died as a much more remarkable hero - the type that doesn't win every honor that the army has to offer, the type that doesn't...more
Melia
What I learned from this book is to never give up and to quote from this book...
" It is okay to pass out, just never stop on purpose.So run until you drop."
Joanna
I don't think I've ever read a more heartbreaking story in my life. This book was absolutely beautiful, following the tale of two young boys (one 15 and German, and the other 16 and American) who are on opposite sides during WWII. I enjoyed every minute of this amazing novel and Dean Hughs truly captures the essence of war and its effect on people. the ending was something I never would have expected and the way he wrote it had me sobbing my heart out - and I rarely ever cry when reading. It was...more
Matt
This book is about a two different teenagers, one named Dieter and the other named Spence. Spence is American while Dieter is German. When Dieter turned fifteen, he got promoted from the Hitler Youth to the German army. This book is full of suspense when Dieter got shot in the arm, someone's final act of kindness is to save him before they die. I would rate this book 4/5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes blood and gorey stuff.

A tanilizing tidbit i found was:
...more
04chandlerh
Chandler Holm P.4 Soldier Boys

The main problem in this book is that two teenage boys who want to go to war finally get their chance but, war is not what they expected. The main characters are Spencer and Dieter. Spencer, is short for his age but, has strong age. He drops out of high school and joins the U.S. Army Paratroopers to prove to his little community in Brigham, Utah that he is a man. Dieter, is average but, has been influenced by Hitler. Since the age of six, he ...more
Tommy
I read Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes and I was pretty disappointed. It is mainly about two young soldiers from the US and Germany who discover that the military isn’t as easy as they thought. They were looking for honor by joining but came back with a lifetime experience. I was disappointed with the amount of repetition that there was throughout the book. Most of the book was about how hard the war was and all the main characters did was wine and complain. In general, the main characters were real...more
Jake Liberty
"Soldier Boys" by Dean Hughes is a heartwarming story about two entirely different boys and their lives. The story takes place during World War II in America and Germany. Dieter Hedrick was put in Hitler Youth when he was very young. He always stood in awe of Hitler and what he was accomplishing. When Dieter turns fifteen, he joins the German Army. Spencer Morgan has lived in a small, country town for his whole life. Nothing amazing ever happens to him except when his "crush"...more
Nick D
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Priscilla
I really liked the unique perspective of this story! Spence is an American teenager who join the Air Force during World War 2. He wants to prove that he is a man who can take on the challenge. Dieter is a German teenager who truly believes in Hilter's great plan to restore Germans to their rightful place. He joins the army at the tender age of 15, hoping to prove himself a loyal Nazi.

I really liked Dieter's unique perspective. I think a lot of American literature portrays the Nazi ma...more
04milayaw
Main ussue: The main issue is that Spencer is off to leave for the war and everybody doesn't want him to leave, and another thing is that him and his friend Dieter are training and are in a horrible condition and they want to go home.
Setting:The story mainly takes place in the woods of Bastogne, Belgium.
Pro and An: There isn't really a protagonist and an antagonist in the story.
I liked it because it gave a lot of detail to reply it in my mind. But what I didn't like about the stor...more
Jourdan Carlson
I read soldier boys and it was not that good as I thought it was going to be. I would not recommend this book to lots of people. You guy's could think its good but I thought it was bad. The story is about to young boys from the US and Germany and want to be in the army and they think it is going to be fun and stuff. They find out that it is not as easy as they thought it was going to be. They find out that it is really hard and come back with a life changing experience. one of the main people in...more
Drew
This book is about World War II and two young boys who want to get into the war to help their country. The author informs you on what life was like during the war and leads you through the training and challenges these boys face. I thought the book was interesting because it not only tells how the war happened but what happened to the soldiers on the battle fields. I think the author wanted to show how both German and American forces fought for their countries in desperate times. The brutal tra...more
Jocelyn L.
“Soldier Boys” by Dean Hughes tells the story of two boys during WWII. At first these boys seem as opposite as can be. Dieter, a 15-year old German, has spent his life trying to work himself up in the Hitler Youth and eventually become a soldier in the German army. Spencer, a 16-year old from Utah, wants to join the paratroopers to show people, especially a girl in his grade named LuAnn, that they underestimated him. Although these boys live on opposite sides of the world and are fighting from d...more
James
James rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: Anyone who can read
Recommended to James by: Summer Reading List for School
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Kym
I've always been fascinated by WW2. My mother in law was in Germany during the entire thing, she has some pretty amazing stories. This story was about an American boy, and a German boy who both signed up very young to fight. It goes through each boys story. I loved hearing both sides. I've always wanted to find more literature about the German side and how people really felt--if they could tell Hitler was evil, when they could tell etc. This gave a good insight.
In the beginning I fe...more
Donna
I have a super soft spot for historical fiction taking place in the European Theater of World War II. It doesn't take much for me to grab a title with even a hint of that topic in the blurb. And since Band of Brothers is one of my all time favorite shows, it really isn't surprising that I picked up a book about a paratrooper.

The only real qualm I had with SOLDIER BOYS was that it ganked a scene from Band of Brothers. See, when you know the show as well as I do, I can pick out nuances l...more
Jon
Jonathan
Davenport
Soldier boy book summary
Task # 4


Soldier boy book summary

In the book soldier boys, two boys decide they want to fight for their country. Spencer Morgan is a sixteen year old boy from Brigham City, Utah. Spence joined the army as a paratrooper, hoping for a chance to fight in the war. However in Germany Dieter Hedrick joins the German army so he can also have a part in this war. Both boys go through the...more
Andrea
"Soldier Boys" is a very interesting read. My Children's Literature professor recommended it on his young adult reading list and I can see why. The book follows both sides of World War II through a young American soldier and a young German soldier's point of view. You begin by learning their choices and reasons for joining their countries' armies and end when their stories meet on the battlefields of Belgium. It was fascinating to observe their similarities and differences in their thi...more
Jay H
I think the book was actually targeted more to a younger crowd (maybe middle school) so it lacked the depth that you see in more adult novels. But overall I liked it because I often find that war books intended for older audiences confuse me with technical talk that I find hard to follow, where this book kept things relatively simple. It focuses on the individual (though short) war experiences of two boys on opposite sides, and I liked what happened at the end of the book when they meet. While I...more
Conwaym
I read this book because I read the back of it and it seemed really good.the book take place in the U.S and germany.There are two main character and one live in the U.S and one lives in Germany.The one that live in the U.S is named Tom.He want to join the army but this dad won't let him.He finally does and he didnt thank it was as fun as he thought in would be.The other main character lives in Germany and is inn the nazi army and want to be like hitter.The main problem is them just fighting to w...more
Elyssa
This book was written well, and I thought the way the author told it through both Spencer and Dieter was neat and informative. However, i foud the ending to be very sudden, depressing and shocking, and it almost felt as if the author just wanted to end the book. I found it very unexpected, and it seems as though the book should have gone on. There were good morals, but I wish the resolve would not have been so harsh to all of the main and semi-main characters. I would not necessarily recommend t...more
Helaman 6
This book is about an American boy and a German Boy. The American boy is still in high school and want to drop out to go and fight against the germans. He wants to do this for pride but some peole think he is doing this for a girl.
The German's name is Dieter and he is proud when he sees Hitler face. It makes him proud and happy. He makes a promise to do everything he can do to stop the Americans from defeating the Germans. It is a matter of time when these two boys come face to ...more
Bri Zabriskie
Bri Zabriskie rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: 10-14 yo boys
Recommended to Bri by: Dean Hughes
I really enjoyed this book. I received my copy from the author after meeting him at a party. I asked him what he thought his best work of non-lds fiction was, and this was what he presented me with. I thought it was great YA fiction; I'd recommend it most to boys between the ages of 10 and 14 or so. It is a wonderful way to represent what it might've been like to be a boy during WWII and reads fairly quickly.

I think if it were meant for much of an older audience, it would need to delv...more
Markz
Soldier Boys Review
****
“An epic and dramatic story of two soldiers that were just boys…”
By: Mark Zocco
Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes is a solid book with a very compassionate and tragic storyline. However, there are a few things that prevent me from giving this book five stars. First off, let’s talk about the pros of this book. Soldier boys tells the stories of two young boys from two very different worlds; Dieter from Germany and Spence from the United ...more
Tabatha
this brave tale of two young fight to bravely fight for their country and stay alive makes for a great edgy story.dieter and spencer are two young men on opposite sides of the beging of world war II. they both indure many tasks trying to fight to stay alive and fighting to defend their country.The thrilling action of this book will make you want to save these characters from the first moment the step into the war to the moment the "step out." i really liked this book because it not onl...more
James
A simple little story, but moving and deeply sad. The story follows the experiences, parallel in some ways, of two teenage boys who can't wait to get into the fighting in World War II. One is American, one German.
Both find their romantic illusions being stripped away by harsh realities; this strikes a personal note with me. This is what Kurt Vonnegut was talking about when he subtitles his partly autobiographical novel Slaughterhouse Five, much of which is about World War II, The Children'...more
Savanna
I really liked this book. It was so sad that it left me sobbing at the end. Soldier Boys is a heart throb about two boys on opposite sides of the war who each fight for the same reasons: to protect their country and family, and to prove themselves men.

This is a book that will have you at the edge of your seat waiting anxiously to see if things turn out alright, and if they will ever be able to return home again.

WARNING TO SENSITIVE READERS:
It did have some thin...more
Erica
Great WWII story for middle readers! I really liked the fact that this book wasn't a black and white war story. The novel follows two boys from the beginning of the war to the end. One boy is an American and the other is a German boy from the Hitler Youth. Both desperately want to join the war before it ends to prove their manliness, courage, and loyalty. You can imagine what happens once they both actually enter the fight. Both characters are easy for young teens to relate to.
Julie Suzanne
Julie Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: Young adults ,esp. boys
A Nazi soldier's perspective juxtaposed to an American Mormon soldier's point of view, and of course, they come together in battle. I'm definitely recommending this novel to my middle school students, especially my boys who are really interested in WWII, and I think it's an excellent choice for any young adult. There was way more "war talk" in it than Code Talker or even My Brother Sam is Dead, which is a bonus for my students but a bit of a drawback for me. Seeing the war through a...more
Josh
Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: 16+ teens
I read this book in about two hours. It is the parallel story of two young men, one German and one American, during WWII. Both are anxious to prove themselves in the adventure that is the war, but as the story progresses their image of war and the enemy is challenged. It has some pretty gruesome fighting scenes, but the language and sexual content is clean. I would highly recommend this to teens 16 years and older as an honest depiction of the hellishness of war.
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Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, and Search and Destroy. Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three ...more
More about Dean Hughes...
Rumors of War (Children of the Promise, Vol 1) Since You Went Away (Children of the Promise, Volume 2) When We Meet Again (Children Of The Promise, Vol. 4) Far from Home (Children of the Promise Vol 3) As Long As I Have You (Children Of The Promise, Vol. 5)

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