November 2011 - World War II

[Sarah]

November discussion space is now open

[Kim]

Most of my WWII books are so old, hoping for some up to date suggestions.
Thanks,
Kim

[Laura5]

Do we have a specific book or an author for this month?

[Crystal]

One of my favorites is Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. It isn't new - 2005, but it is an excellent narrative non-fiction.

[Laura5]

is on my desk waiting for me.

[Crystal]

Just finished reading Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Michael O. Tunnell. Loved that I finally understand how the Berlin airlift worked. I have had some vague idea, but did not realize how many flights went in and out carrying so much for so long.

My mother-in-law was about 5 when the war ended and she lived in Frankfurt. She has always said that what she remembered about the Americans after the war is that they gave her candy. This book gave me some context for that memory she has shared. It's likely that soldiers had similar thoughts all around their peacekeeping assignments when seeing the children that had not had enough to eat for quite some time.

This book stressed that the candy bomber thought they were bringing hope rather than just sugar. The candy told the kids that somebody out there cared for them.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one.

[Laura]

One of my schools has a complete but small collection of WWII books; my other school has an older and less attractive collection. I definitely want to explore some new books, especially ones that are very kid-friendly.

I'm going to read Joseph Bruchac's Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two. It's middle grade historical fiction. I know! It's NONfiction Navigators so I'll see if I can find some good NF titles to complement my fiction reading.

[Sarah]

My school's collection of WWII books is also very small and is aging. We have the Candy Bomber book Crystal mentioned so that is in my pile as well as 2 of the You Wouldn't Want To Be series. Hoping to get to some after this week and some required reviews are done.

[Sarah]

I read You Wouldn't Want to be a World War II Secret Agent. I enjoyed it, though not as much as some others in that series. The other 2 books are still in my growing pile of to-reads.

Anyone discover any other reads for World War II?

[Crystal]

We have some good graphic novels that the boys just zoom through. It's a series called Graphic Battles of World War II. There's one about D-Day, Iwo Jima and the Battle of Midway.

Also, I am pretty sure I read Richard Bong: World War II Flying Ace in the past and enjoyed it. He was from Wisconsin so I bought it for WI projects.

[Laura]

I'm so glad that I have the Nonfiction Navigators to keep me thoughtful! I've had a good and productive month reviewing and thinking about my WW2 collections.

First of all, WW2 isn't really in the curriculum for my elementary school. It's only briefly mentioned and not in any real depth. I think it's extra important that the books I choose are kid-friendly and reflect my students' reading interests. I found a few books that are languishing on the shelf because they are too hard, black-and-white, and not attractive to students. Time for a little weeding, I think.

I'm going to order some books about military aircraft, since that's a hot topic with my students. I also appreciated Crystal's suggestion about the graphic novels so I'm going to check into those.

Among the books I read and liked: Always Remember Me by Marisabina Russo, a true story of a family's survival of the Holocaust. I also really liked Louise Borden's historical fiction, The Greatest Skating Race. And finally, I reviewed some of our picture books, like Eyewitness or American Girl. These are popular among my upper grade boys and I can see why. The information is clear, the pictures are interesting, and it's a pleasure to browse through these books.

[Crystal]

I finally read The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaustby Karen Gray Ruelle. I thought they did a great job of sharing a time of horror without being overwhelming. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Crystal]

I found one more good one - though again it is a little older - 2008. It is The Attack on Pearl Harbor: An Interactive History Adventure. You Choose books are quite popular at my school and this one gets checked out a lot. It covers a lot of ground, though I would have liked it to explain the internment camps a bit more. It was just a very brief mention. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...