Wings of Mystery

by Ellery Queen

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. While studying the Vietnam War, Lisa is reminded of her father's death in the war and her mother's nightmares. Will she find a way to make peace with the war that damaged her family?

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Womens, War, Historical

284 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

aka Barnaby Ross.
(Pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee)
"Ellery Queen" was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age "fair play" mystery.

Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen's first appearance came in 1928 when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that would eventually be published as The Roman Hat Mystery. Their character was an amateur detective who used his spare time to assist his police inspector father in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee's death.

Several of the later "Ellery Queen" books were written by other authors, including Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, and Theodore Sturgeon.

Reviews

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good look at Vietnam War through the child of a lost parent and another parent who was a Nurse in Nam.
Also discussion of those who stayed behind and the development of the Vietnam Veteran Wall in D.C.
Thought of China Beach, & Tour of Duty.
I thought of my cousin who died in Nam, Watson from Turbotville, PA. At this time, I don't remember his name, however My Grandmother kept his picture by the candy dish in the Living room.
My Uncle served in Air Force in Da Nang. My Wife had an Uncle and Cousin's husband who served there.
Books I have read on Nam, hopefully are listed.

[Charles Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a girl who lost her father to the Vietnam war and is scared she's lost her mother to the memories of the Vietnam war.

Lost in the War gives the reader a hard and honest view of what its like living with a family member suffering from PTSD while at the same time reminding the reader that women served in the Vietnam War and that they could suffer the same way so many men do.

An excellent read, suited for seventh grade and up.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its after the Vietnam war and Lisa's family has been torn apart. Her father died in the war and her mother is constantly having nightmares. They find out about the Vietnam wall that is coming and Lisa has to learn about the war in school. Her friends and family help her get through the worst times.

[Dakota Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vietnam war-we talk about the soldiers, the protesters and politicians but this is the first book I read that mentions the nurses who cared for the soldiers and how they were also affected ( and their lives children too). 🎖🪖👩‍⚕️

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for school tbh

[Sherry Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible read. A family fighting the effects of the war, find a little light and healing along the way. Super quick read.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Antle calls the book I have just finished reading Lost In The War. The genre of this book was a historical fiction because throughout the whole book it was talking about how the main character, Lisa’s mom was struggling after she came back from Vietnam and how her husband died there. I think the intended audience for this book would be middle school or high schoolers because it is a short book and has large text; it also is a very easy book to follow with many descriptions. I would recommend this book to anybody that like to read stories that are fiction or books that are about the Vietnam war. I would also recommend this book to people who need to read a book about the Vietnam War because it is a good story and I kind of liked this book even though it was not in my interest. The theme of this book would be to learn about how it was like for families whose family was affected after the Vietnam War.
Lost In The War starts off showing how her mom is traumatized after being a nurse in the Vietnam War. Lisa is telling the story of how her mom suffers these nightmares almost every night after finding out that her father died. Lisa’s mom has been trying to get into a group that is anti war but they won’t let her in because she was a part of the war. Once Lisa goes to school she finds out that she has to learn about the Vietnam war, but she already know everything about it since her family was in the war. Once her teacher Mr. Parker tells about the project they are required to do, Lisa refuses to do it because of what happened to her mother and father. Throughout the book it tells about people’s lives in the war and how her mother has to overcome her fear, and try to talk about her feelings so the family can come together again.
Nancy Antle is an author of many children poems, short stories, picture books, and many more. If I were to compare Lost In The War to any book it would be The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas because they both are based on a topic of wartime. I think that Lost In The War shows more on how the war affected families and The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas showed a fictional story of how a boy from two different sides has a strong friendship and how they always tried to help each other.
Read Lost In The War to see how the Vietnam War affects a family. Also read it to find out if her mother ever overcame her fear for them to become a family once again.

[Brittany Dotseth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Lost In The War
Author: Nancy Antle
Genre: Historical ficton


The book I read was Lost In The War by Nancy Antle. The Genre that Lost in the war fit into was historical fiction. It is about a girl named Lisa.Her mom was a nurse in the Vietnam war, her mom and dad met because of the war and fell in love but a month before lisa's dad robert was suppose to come home he was shot and killed in Vietnam. Years after Lisa father's death her mom still has nightmares of what she had seen in Vietnam. Lisa's Aunt Rose had to move in with them to help take care of lisa and her younger sister, while her mom has nightmares. Aunt Rose knows more about what happened during the war. In Lisa's school, they are working on a project about the Vietnam War, and she doesn't want to do it because it brings up thoughts of her mom being in pain. Her teacher Mr. Cooke makes her do it, but just because she was told doesn't mean she will do it, or does it? Read to find out.
The book is historical fiction because it is about the Vietnam War. Nancy Antle didn't state a purpose to the book , but I think the purpose of lost in the war was to give people more information on what had happened in the war and how the Vietnam War affected a lot of people’s lives. The intended audience for this book would be for people between 14-16. It's a easy read, but it's a very good book. Nancy descriptive words help me imagine the scene like, josh showing his drawing of a soldier with a gun but didn't have a face to him making him unknown, and the picture frame Lisa made for her dad to put by the memorial. I would recommend this book to others because people in age 13-16 haven't experienced this so it would really open there eyes about what's happening in the world.I think the overall of the book teaches you that you shouldnt ever have to feel alone.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book I read was, Lost in the War by: Nancy Antle. Lost in the War is a historical fiction. It is about a girl who's mom was a nurse in the Vietnam war, and her dad died in the war. Her mom is having nightmares and her Aunt Rose had to move in with them to help take care of them, when she is having nightmares at night. Aunt Rose knows more about what happened during the war. In school, they are working on a project about the Vietnam war, and she doesn't want to do it because it brings up thoughts she doesn't like. Her teacher, Mr. Cooke makes her do it, read to find out if she makes it through the book.

The book is historical fiction because it is about the Vietnam War and it talks about the wall they built for it. The intended audience for the book would be young teens, about 13-16. It's a super easy read, but it's a really good book, and I love the way the author wrote it very good, she was very descriptive, and I could see the classrooms, the crowds of people that were at the memorial they had for Vietnam, the mountains were they found there mom. I would recommend this book to others because it's not something everyone expects or has to go through in there daily life. There is a good life lesson, of always be there for people, even if you don't want to be you need people to talk to.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost at war by Nancy Antle is a story about a family with Vietnam vets. And what the author’s message is to inform us how it’s like to live with someone or to deal with someone who was in the Vietnam war and what effects it impacted on them. This story is about a mom with two children trying to survive after the dad was killed and the mom has something like shell shock or memories that can’t let her live in peace. The genre of this book would have to be realistic fiction and the audience that is intended to is pretty much anyone who reads because also it has some inspirational stories in it. I just gave you the jits of the book is about but I’m telling you its really good. The way the book affected me was because I know now no to take parents for granted because we really do need them. Like there’s one part in the book that says that one of the kids I think is Lisa who said “I miss my mom”. And even though her mom was there she still felt like she was missing cause of the impact the war had on her mom. So like I said I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about sad inspiring stories. And most of all I give this book a 4 star because of its setting and the way it was well written because I could pretty much picture everything that was going on in the book and everything that they did I pictured it.

[Kristin Herll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book Lost in the War by Nancy Antle. The book is 137 pages and the genre is historical fiction. Lost in the War is about a teenage girl named Lisa whose parents were in the Vietnam War. Lisa's mother was a nurse in the war and her father was a soldier. Her father was killed and now her many years later her mother is having horrible nightmares about the soldiers she saw die in the war including her husband. Lisa is very concerned about her mother and is trying to be strong and keep her family together with the help of her favorite Aunt Rose. Lisa also has a little sister named Jenny who is only eleven and is a troublemaker.

Now Lisa is in the seventh grade in her history class they begin to study all about the Vietnam War. But Lisa doesn’t want to participate because it brings up too many bad memories of her father and it also reminds her of the horrible time her mom is going through with her father's death. I would recommend this book to others. The intended audience for this is book is boys and girls. I really enjoyed this book and I feel like I learned a lot from it. I would love to read another book like this one because it was very interesting and I learned a lot about the war.

[Matt Peitso]

Lost In The War By Nancy Antle genre Historical fiction, subject of matter Vietnam.
I think the reason why the author decided to write this subject is because she want to give us the readers the visualization on how life would after the war in Vietnam and how it affected the people around you. The general field of this book historical fiction because even though it would seem real but it was really based on the thoughts of daughters of the family on what they saw, heard, and the imagination of the sisters by the the names are Lisa and Jenny. What i thought this book was going to be about notes on the war formperson in veitnam not just s tory about a family that was affect by the war. Would i recommend this book to anyone of course i would because it show how lifes of people that went to nam were affected back home. What pain and sarrow they had to go though after the war and how all of the nightmares they would have. That made me realize that even though they ahd left nam the memories of the war will all ways stay with women and men that fought so in my mind they really never left Vietnam.

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book is Lost in the war, Author is Nancy Antle. The general subject is Vietnam War. The genre this book would fit in is Historical Fiction. It is a Historical Fiction book because it is all about the Vietnam War. I think the intended audience for this book is teens. I think it is geared more towards middle school aged kids because it is a quick easy read that is also informational. This book is about a family where the father died in the war, and the mother was a nurse in the war. They had two children. And the mother now suffers from nightmares, and often blames her self for her husbands death. This book made me feel sad for that women because she feels its her fault and that she could have saved them when really she did the best she could and saved many people. It also makes me feel bad for those people who have lost someone in the war. And i could not imagine how that must feel. Tipically i would not chose to read a historical fiction book but i thought this book war a pretty good but and easy to read.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally don't read a lot of historical fiction books and Lost In the War by Nancy Antle really doesn't reinforce my like or dislike for this particular genre of books. Lost In the War wasn't a disappointing book but it wasn't the best, the story deals with a mom dealing with depression/sadness due to the Vietnam war, her children and how they cope about it together as a family. The narrator, Lisa, seems that she is the stronger of the two children and she doesn't have many problems -- except for the school she goes to is going to start a month long study of Vietnam. The story is supposed to be historical fiction, but I really don't see why it is. The book in my opinion really just resembles a realistic fiction of a loving family with a depressed mother and a normal school girl going through her normal school life. This was an easy but extremely boring read. If needed to recommend this book to a friend I would only recommend it if you are forced to read this genre.

[Maddy]

I started reading Lost in the War by Nancy Antle a few days ago. This book opens up and it starts moving very quickly. I am anxious to finish this book because the plot seems so interesting to me. This is a historical fiction about a family whose father died in vietnam. The mom in the story was a nurse in vietnam and the dad was a soldier. Unlike a lot of other historical fictions this one is a quick read. This story is told in the perspective of lisa, a thirteen year old girl who is dealing with the loss of her father and also she is dealing with her mom screaming at night from the nightmares she has. Lisa's father died when she was little but she can still remember him. I could never imagine loosing my father in the war. I'm sure many people can relate to this book because a lot of times people have connections with someone that has fought in war or anything like that. I'm excited to finish this book!

[Lamont]

This book is about the Vietnam War. And how a little girl in 8th grade name Lisa Grey. At the time of the war she was too little to even understand what happened. But her mother still haves these little nightmares about how the war which kind of gives Lisa a clue on what happened. All Lisa grey knows is that her father had died due to the war and because of it she hates to hear about the war. Because of what her family went through. Then one day these people came to her school to talk about the war and her teacher made her pay attention to what had happen. While listening to what they were saying she haves a better understanding on why her mother suffers when there is a thunderstorm and why she always hides underneath the bed. I really enjoyed reading this book even though it was sad but I found it pretty interesting. I recommend this book to everybody it was a great book.

[Julia Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it was rather short though. It only had about 130 pages. Because of the length, it was rushed. There was not that much time to process what was happening, it just jumped from one thing to the next. I also didn't feel like it had a very sound ending. Some of the things that happened to the main character didn't really seem to be resolved in the end. And it left too much for the reader to wonder what happened . But, even though I didn't love how it was written, I really enjoyed to story line! It gave the reader a very good view of life in the Vietnam war, and it adequately expressed the pain and sorrow, but also the joys of the war. The ending that was given, although I didn't think it was full enough, was really really sweet. Overall, I think the author could have added a couple hundred more pages, but I really enjoyed what the author did write!

[Grant Hollenbeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is Lost in the War by Nancy Antle, I really thought this book was ok for a historical fiction. It was a nice small 137 page book but wasn’t that great to read. It didn’t really interest me in a lot in some parts of the book, like when the mom would wake up screaming and mess up the children’s sleep schedule. Or when Lisa was taking the Vietnam class and couldn't take it and told them about her mom and the war. Lisa is trying to keep the family together, but it is hard for her when its her, no dad(died in Vietnam war), sister, and a crazy mom. I would hate to be in her shoes at that time. Maybe later in the future I will reread this and give it a second opinion, and who knows maybe it will be my favorite book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was Lost in the war by Nancy Antle. It’s a fiction about the Vietnam War from a girl’s perspective. The girl’s Mom was a nurse and her Dad was killed in action trying to help his buddy’s. The girl’s mom Mary Ann has nightmares about Vietnam and she calls for her husband. Lisa the main character talks to her mom about going to see a shrink. She is going and she meets another war vet and they become good friends throughout the book.
I recommend this book to all because it’s not a hard read and it’s a touching story. I normally hate reading stories about Vietnam but this one was okay at the beginning and got a lot better towards the middle of the book.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a family whos father died in Vietnam war. The main character is Lisa, she is a young girl who has to help her mom get through an emotional time. Her mom is emotionally tormented from her memories from the war. She served as a nurse in the war. Jenny is lisa's younger sister who hates talking about the war. She is a drama queen and wants her mom to get better. Both the girls grow up through the story and become mature.This book is a great read if you like learning about history.

[Taylor Meinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a Vietnam book I have to say this is a great book it’s a very easy read but it keeps you wanting to read it. Lisa is a teen girl and her mother is living in her old Vietnam years. Lisa is in a class at school and she has to learn all about Vietnam , she couldn’t take it. All her feelings came out about her mother people in Vietnam and her family. I couldn’t put the book down I had to find out what happened next I hope you feel the same way about the book its great.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about a widow and her two daughters that lost their father and husband in the war. They didn't act like a family for a long time because the mother was not mentally sound because of war flashbacks of when she was in the war as a nerse, but then she met a vet that helped her through her rough time

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a YA book--an easy read, but I liked it very much. Lisa's father was killed in Vietnam; her mom was a nurse there and suffers from recurring nightmares. It shows what it was like for those who were there in Vietnam as nurses, especially American women. In the end, Lisa, her mom and her sister are beginning to make peace with the war.

[Nova · Rating 2 out of 5]

aimed at 10 to 15 year olds, this deals with an American widow and her 2 daughters struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Reading this just reinforced my view that war should be outlawed.

[Noah]

This book is about a girl who has to take care of her mom. Her mom is suffering from recovering from the war and losing her husband. she has horrible nightmares about the war and her husband and it is destroying her family.

[Miranda Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking book about a girl whos mother and father both served. Her father died, and her mother will never be the same.

[Leandrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

the war devistated many families

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt story about living with a war vet and having lost the other parent to war.

[Ashton]

This book was about a wife and her two daughters that lost there father and husband in the war. They didn't act like a family for a long time because the mother was depressed and wasnt stable because of war flashbacks of when she was in the war as a nerse but then she met a vet that helped her through her rough time, this book was good and intesting

[Heather Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book it really did a good job of telling how war effects not only those who were there, but the family as well. This does a good job showing how hard it was for Lisa's mother to deal with what happened and what she saw, but how it effected Lisa and her sister as well. Very good book, have some tissues handy you will need them especially the last couple of pages.