Lost at Khe Sanh

Ghosts of War #2

by Steve Watkins

Anderson finds himself drawn to the old trunk of military relics in the basement of his family's junk shop again. His friends Greg and Julie warn him to stay away from it, but he can't help himself. This time Anderson discovers an old grenade with a strange message scratched into it. But an old grenade is dangerous... especially when the ghost of a soldier appears, claiming that it's his lucky grenade from during his service in the Vietnam War.

What does this ghost want from Anderson, Greg, and Julie? Is he here for their help - or for something more sinister? It's a race against time as the friends work to solve the mystery!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, War, Childrens, Historical, Chapter Books

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

Steve Watkins is the author of the young adult novels Stolen by Night, On Blood Road, Juvie, What Comes After, and Great Falls, as well as the middle-grade novels Down Sand Mountain, Sink or Swim, and the Ghosts of War series, including The Secret of Midway, Lost at Khe Sanh, AWOL in North Africa, and Fallen in Fredericksburg.

A former professor of journalism, creative writing, and Vietnam War literature, Steve is the cofounder and editor of Pie & Chai, a monthly magazine that you can find and read online at pieandchaimagazine.com.

Reviews

[Crisanto Vergara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that I just read for the past 15 days is about the Vietnam war that had been settled in Khe Sanh. U.S Marines was going into an Operation that was actually settled as a Trap, the NVA Trapped Soldiers during the operation of Khe Sanh. Anderson was Told about the story that really happened during the War.

What I Really liked about this book was the fact of learning history because You will never some secrets of the past.

I really recommend this book to readers that Loves learning about the past few generations with Urban chaos that is happening.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book for middle-school and above. It explains very well how the Vietnam War was organized, and the Khe Sanh blockade.

[Matt W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like in the first book Anderson and his friends have to solve another mistor but this time for a ghost that was lost in vietnaim. They first find a gurnade that was in his uncles store basment were they use for band practice. Then he apires into Anderson room and then it is a new mistery to solve.
I think the them for this book is to never give up. A reason I think this is that if Anderson and his friends gave up they wouldn't have solved the mystery. Onther reason is that they didn't think they could preform at the concert for all ages but they did it and didn't fail like they did in the first book. Lastly I think that if they wouldn't have solved the mystery then they couldn't have had the sinscaiton of being done.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I think Watkins does a great job of giving a story while putting in information of the vietnum war. I like his books becuse they arn't to hard and arn't to easy they are perfect and a good book to read before bead or in a long car ride. I really can't wait to find the 3rd and the 4th book of the sires.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the series brings Anderson, Julie and Greg back together as they try to learn to play music together as a band. Mild bickering is tossed away though as another ghostly article appears, and a new history mystery brings the trio back together as sleuths.

In this story, the setting is Vietnam, and the tweens get not only the history of some of the famous and infamous battles, but some of the angst and anti-war sentiment that was prevalent during the late 60s and early 70s. Uncle Dexter is again a help as he takes them around, in this story to The Wall, where over fifty eight thousand names of the missing and fallen are inscribed.

It was particularly interesting that the story told the significance of the different symbols beside each name, even as the trio looked for the name of a specific person (their ghostly companion).

Overall, this story was just as interesting as the first, and again is one I would heartily recommend!

[LUKAS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book if you like reading about wars and spooky stuff. It is a nice book to read because they have real facts in the book such as mentioning Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam War. I also enjoyed it because the humans mis-judged the ghost character and in the end they realized he was a nice ghost.

[Jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anderson is in 6th grade and he found a grenade. The grenade belonged to a Vietnam soldier named Zorn Miller. Then a ghost appeared in Anderson's bedroom at night. Anderson and his friends to solve the mystery of how he died.This is a book for young adults interested in learning about the Vietnam War.It is a book that gets you hooked.Great book for information about the Vietnam War.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed both books of the series so far. I will most definitely finish up the series. I like the fantasy/mystery of the book mixed with military history. My students enjoy the series and were excited when I share that I had finished this book. Great series for boys around 4th grade and higher.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked book 1 better. I think it was because I got caught up with reading something and never came back.:(

[Aiden]

I really loved the book in fact I still have the book at home.If you are wondering why I did not steal it I bought it at a book fair.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I like bands. I also liked book because I like the library.

[Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lot better than the first one, in my opinion. I learned a lot about the Vietnam war from this book. I would totally recommend reading this book.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adult rating: 4 stars
Kid rating: 4 stars

Anderson, Greg, and Julie have another war ghost on their hands when Anderson finds a grenade in his uncle's stash of military possessions. Thankfully if ends up being a dud grenade, but Anderson can't help wondering about the inscription--Z & Fish/DMZ 68. Soon after, a ghost wearing military clothing appears in his bedroom. The group begins investigating and figures out that DMZ 68 refers to the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam in 1968. Further research leads them to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC and the identity of their ghost, Zorn Miller, believed to be killed in action. They track down Zorn's wife and Fish, ending the mystery of what happened to Zorn Miller.

Though this book is set in the present, it gives a tremendous amount of information about the Vietnam War, especially the battle of Khe Sanh and it's lesser known twin, Lang Vei. The modern plot line helps keep the historical part from becoming too overwhelming. I was especially impressed with how well the author explains how this war was different from all wars America had ever fought, how the support for the war eventually turned, how you can never know the outcome of military decisions before the fact, and most importantly how soldiers are only following orders and always deserve respect for putting their lives on the line. A must read for any kids interested in the Vietnam War.

[R. Fulleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book for middle school kids who want to read a ghost story and learn some history in the process. 'Lost at Khe Sanh' does the very important job of bringing some of the events of the Viet Nam war to teens who haven't even heard of it before.
I totally share the sentiment written in the book, " . . . no matter what we thought of the reasons they (US soldiers) were sent, we should always remember that they went over because they had a job to do, and that most of them did it as well as they could, serving and sacrificing for the rest of us . . . they deserved our appreciation, and our love, and our respect."
The book should definitely keep the attention of young readers, and give them a better understanding of what veterans of Viet Nam, as well as any conflicts since, have gone through and have to live with each and every day.

[Angel Velasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts of war lost at khe sanh
This weekend i read “ghosts of war lost at khe sanh”by steve watkins.

The story was about a man called Zorn miller who served for the army had been lost during the battle of khe sanh.Anderson’s friends were looking more to find who was zorn miller and his friend fish.

Zorn also told Anderson about he having a son that they named him nuget after that they wanted to know more about her wife so they called her and she said that zorn had been lost at the khe sanh and how they lost the war because of the NVA and how anderson friends dad was in the army with zorn.

Zorn told anderson for the things they did to him to find a way out of the confusing things.

[Joseph Baskaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Lost at Khe Sanh by Steve Watkins is an amazing book. It talks about these three friends named Anderson, Julie, and Greg. They all go on an adventure when Anderson opens a old military trunk that takes them on a whole adventure. The main reason I give this book 5 stars out of 5 stars is because it has so much action. Every other page I turn a big action seen is happening. Whether it is a military fighting seen or trying to escape monsters. This is a great book.

[Patricia]

This series of books is very good! I hope a lot of kids read these. It's so very hard to explain to kids wartime experiences, and I believe the author does so very well. He makes it easy to identify with the kids, and then introduces veterans' experiences through different and surprising means while simultaneously providing historical data. Well done.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this book is better than the first book in the series, there are no loose ends and if there are any it ties up quickly with a great explanation. This book is for people wanting to know more about the Vietnam war ;)

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this one the ghost is a Vietnam War ghost. I learned a lot about the war.

[Joyce]

Read to Kai

[lola Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a clever way of introducing the Vietnam War to tween readers.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anderson is with his friends Greg and Julie in the basement of his uncle’s junk shop. They are there to practice for the upcoming band contest and there are many trunks of relics that no one has opened for some time. When curiosity gets the best of him, Anderson opens a trunk and finds an old grenade with an inscription on it. Once he shows it to his uncle, Anderson is ordered to set it down gently and the police bomb squad is called. They take care of the danger, but the act triggers the appearance of a ghost named Z.
Z was an American soldier that was a Green Beret that fought in Vietnam, lost in an enormous fog of war during the siege of Khe Sanh. There is reference to his buddy called Fish, which triggers an extensive investigation by Anderson, Greg and Julie. They learn a great deal about the Vietnam War in general and the battle of Khe Sanh in particular. Collateral issues such as the declining public support for the war in Vietnam are also part of the explanations.
After some in-depth exploration, the three sleuths learn all about Z and his buddy Fish. The mystery is solved to the satisfaction of all, including a surprise revelation. The reader is treated to a well-written historical rendition of an intense period in America. The plot device of a ghost appearing provides an effective backdrop for the history lesson.

[Rachel Fosbender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book. I genuinely learned a lot about the Vietnam War and appreciate that this book gives young readers the full picture of America’s involvement in the war. It emphasizes the importance of respecting veterans and all they’ve done for our country while also being honest about the fact that some really horrible things were done while we were there.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in this series are really fun, quick reads. The ending of this second one was perhaps not quite as satisfying and moving as the first, but still very engaging, and I did like how the ghost's story connected to the kids personally.

[Jace]

This book was really great the characters are Anderson who is the main character who finds the ghost Greg is his best friend who helps with the research and other things and Julie is the smart one who finds out most of the information the setting is Vietnam the plot is Anderson finds a grenade and a ghost appears and they must find out who he was and how he died before the time runs out I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history or a mystery

[Jacob R]

In this book, Anderson and his friends Julie and Greg find an old grenade in the basement with a secret message on it. Finding this grenade causes a ghost to come out saying that it is his lucky grenade. Anderson and his friends use the grenade to try to help this ghost find what he’s looking for.
I connected with Anderson in this story because he is adventurous. He was always looking for things to do and he knew not to mess around with the grenade but he did anyway. He is also daring because he was playing with an old grenade. Finding the grenade reminds me of people who have a job of defusing bombs and disarming them.
I liked how interesting parts of the story were. Some parts had lots of detail that made you feel like you were in the story. It also made me want to keep reading ahead to find out what happens. I didn’t like how a lot of the story was boring. Only parts of the story were interesting and the others were hard to follow. I wouldn’t recommend this book because it isn't interesting enough. It would have been better if it had more detail and more action.