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War/Veteran's Day

A collection of topical books and products organized by holiday and age group.

 

Submitted by rachelh on Wed, 08/28/2013 - 09:35.

Little Ones

Year of the Jungle

By Suzanne Collins, Illustrated by James Proimos
Scholastic Press

  • September 10, 2013
  • $17.99
  • Ages 4 and up

New York Times-bestselling author Suzanne Collins has created a deeply moving autobiographical picture book about a father who must go off to the war in Vietnam—and the daughter who stays behind.

When young Suzy's father leaves for Vietnam, she struggles to understand what this means for her and her family. What is the jungle like? Will her father be safe? When will he return? The months slip by, marked by the passing of the familiar holidays and the postcards that her father sends. With each one, he feels more and more distant, until Suzy isn't sure she'd even recognize her father anymore.

This heartfelt and accessible picture book by Suzanne Collins, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Hunger Games series, is accompanied by James Proimos's sweet and charming illustrations. This picture book will speak to any child who has had to spend time away from a parent.


Crow Call

By Lois Lowry, Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Scholastic Press

  • October 2009
  • $16.99
  • Ages 7-10

Lois Lowry makes her picture book debut with a powerful story drawn from her childhood.
This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly.


Middle Grade

New!

Army Brats

By Daphne Benedis-Grab

Scholastic Press 

  • March 2017
  • $17.99 
  • Ages 8-12

Think The Penderwicks on an army base!

The Bailey kids' mom has just been assigned to Fort Patrick, and it'll be the family's first time living on an army base! Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie get to make new friends, explore the neighborhood, and cool off in the huge pool. Unfortunately, they also have to deal with the base bully, who seems determined to make Tom's life completely miserable by telling everyone he's a wimp.

When the Baileys discover a mystery on base--an abandoned building long rumored to be haunted--they know that this is the way to show the world how brave Tom truly is. But when they go to investigate, they find there's more to the house than some old rumors. What is that weird equipment? And who is that suspicious man sneaking around inside?

It's up to Charlotte, Tom, and Rosie to figure out the base's secrets-and prove to everyone that no bully can keep the Bailey kids down.

Daphne Benedis-Grab's Army Brats is an exciting romp that celebrates friendship, bravery, and being true to yourself.

 


Military Animals With Dog Tags

By Laurie Calkhoven

Scholastic Inc.

  • September 2015
  • $7.99
  • Ages 7–10

Everyone knows that soldiers entered battlefields on horseback, but did you know that some warriors rode elephants into combat? You may have heard of bomb-sniffing dogs, but what about bomb-sniffing honeybees?

In "Military Animals," you will learn all about these incredible animals that have aided the military in the air, on land, and by sea. Discover how dolphins, bears, pigs, penguins, and even glowworms became heroes in times of war. When technology couldn't help, these amazing animals could!

 


Brave Like My Brother

By Marc Tyler Nobleman
Scholastic Press

  • June 28, 2016
  • $15.99
  • Ages 7-10

 

The action of WWII comes alive through American soldier Joe's letters home to his younger brother, Charlie!

When Charlie's brother, Joe, is called up to fight in World War II, he promises to write Charlie lots and lots of letters. It won't make up for not being there to help Charlie out with the neighborhood bullies, but it's all Joe can do.

Life is tough for a soldier, and Joe tells Charlie all about it, from training in endless rain and mud to the stray dog the soldiers adopt. When Joe is sent on a secret mission with the one soldier he can't stand, Matt, he will have to face risks that place their mission -- and their lives -- in grave danger.

Charlie knew his brother was strong, but through Joe's letters he learns what Joe really is: a true hero. Joe's letters give Charlie the strength to stand up for himself and be brave, just like his brother.

 


The Holocaust: The Origins, Events, and Remarkable Tales of Survival

By Philip Steele
Scholastic Nonfiction

  • September 13, 2016
  • $14.99
  • Ages 8-12

The Holocaust offers middle-grade readers a detailed new look at one of history's darkest events and brings the topic to life with dramatic photographs and heroic eyewitness accounts.

During World War II, six million Jewish men, women, and children lost their lives under the Nazis, in one of the darkest events of modern history. The Holocaust: The Origins, Events, and Remarkable Tales of Survival is a thought-provoking new book that explores the complex reasons behind what led to the Holocaust, examines what life was like in concentration camps, and retells incredible stories of heroism in a sensitive and accessible way for a young audience.

Featuring full-color contemporary illustrations, maps and charts, and historical photographs, this beautiful large-format book will appeal to parents and teachers who want to introduce this subject to young readers. Eyewitness accounts and real-life stories of loss, courage, and survival bring a humanity and immediacy to the facts and images, making The Holocaust a compelling and invaluable read for a new generation.

 


The Enemy Above: A Novel of World War II

By Michael P. Spradlin

Scholastic Press

  • June 28, 2016
  • $16.99
  • Ages 8-12

The only place they could hide from the Nazis was right beneath their feet!

Anton has nowhere to run. Ambitious Colonel Karl Van Duesen of the Gestapo has made it his mission to round up every Jew in the Ukrainian countryside, and he's getting close. A web of underground caves seems like the perfect hiding place for Anton and the rest of his community. If they are discovered, they will be sent off to work camps . . . or worse.

But when a surprise invasion catches them off guard, and his grandmother is captured, Anton makes a radical decision. He won't run. He won't hide. He will follow the Gestapo and rescue his grandmother. He will stop being the hunted . . . and start doing some hunting of his own.

Michael P. Spradlin's newest thriller is the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse set during one of the darkest moments in history.

 


Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific: The Incredible Story of U.S. Submarines in WWII

By Deborah Hopkinson
Scholastic Press

  • September 27, 2016
  • $17.99
  • Ages 8-12

Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson paints a vivid portrait of the deadly battles that raged in the Pacific during WWII and the remarkable courage of the US submarine sailors who fought them.

Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific tells the incredible story of America's "little-known war within a war" -- US submarine warfare during World War II.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US entered World War II in December 1941 with only forty-four Naval submarines -- many of them dating from the 1920s. With the Pacific battleship fleet decimated after Pearl Harbor, it was up to the feisty and heroic sailors aboard the US submarines to stop the Japanese invasion across the Pacific.

Using first-person accounts, archival materials, official Naval documents, and photographs, award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson brings the voices and exploits of these brave men to life.

 


Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark

By Deborah Hopkinson
Scholastic Press

  • September 2015
  • $17.99
  • Ages 8–12

Critically acclaimed Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson reveals the thrilling truth behind one of WWII’s most daring resistance movements in "Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark."

When the Nazis invaded Denmark the morning of Tuesday, April 9, 1940, the people of this tiny country to the north of Germany awoke to a devastating surprise. The government of Denmark surrendered quietly, and the Danes were ordered to go about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed. Deborah Hopkinson traces the stories of the heroic young men and women who would not stand by as their country was occupied. Instead, they fought back. Some were spies, passing tactical information to the British; some were saboteurs, who aimed to hamper and impede Nazi operations in Denmark; and 95% of the Jewish population of Denmark were survivors, rescued by their fellow countrymen, who had the courage and conscience that drove them to act.

 


Warriors: The Greatest Fighters in History

By Sean Callery
Scholastic Press

  • September 2015
  • $17.99
  • Ages 8–12

This stunning book about the greatest warriors of all time is packed with facts, infographics, expert text, and photography from museums and private collections. Explore collections of weapons, armor, uniforms, medals, everyday equipment, and much more. Find out what these objects can show us about battle tactics, key moments in history, and life as a soldier.

 


Dogs of War

By Sheila Keenan, Illustrated by Nathan Fox
GRAPHIX/Scholastic

  • November 2013
  • $12.99
  • Ages 8-12

Dogs of War is a graphic novel that tells the stories of the canine military heroes of World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. This collection of three fictional stories was inspired by historic battles and real military practice. Each story tells the heroic adventures of a soldier and his service dog, and is rendered with fascinating and beautiful detail, bringing to life the faithful dogs who braved bombs, barrages, and battles to save the lives of countless soldiers.

Based on the real-life roles of military dogs that served as Red Cross rescuers, messengers, scouts, search-and-rescue teams, sentries, and mascots, Dogs of War captures both the adventure and the devastation brought on by war, as well as the celebrations of life and friendship between boys and their dogs.

 


Duke

By Kirby Larson
Scholastic Press

  • September 2013
  • $16.99
  • Ages 8-12

A poignant World War II story about a boy and his dog and his dad, and the many meanings of bravery, from Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson.

With World War II raging and his father fighting overseas in Europe, eleven-year-old Hobie Hanson is determined to do his part to help his family and his country, even if it means giving up his beloved German shepherd, Duke. Hoping to help end the war and bring his dad home faster, Hobie decides to donate Duke to Dogs for Defense, an organization that urges Americans to "loan" their pets to the military to act as sentries, mine sniffers, and patrol dogs. Hobie immediately regrets his decision and tries everything he can to get Duke back, even jeopardizing his friendship with the new boy at school. But when his father is taken prisoner by the Germans, Hobie realizes he must let Duke go and reach deep within himself to be brave. Will Hobie ever see Duke, or his father, again?

With powerful storytelling and gripping emotion, critically acclaimed author Kirby Larson explores the many ways bravery and love help us to weather the most difficult times.

 


Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting

By Jim Murphy
Scholastic Press

  • October 2009
  • $19.99
  • Ages 8-12

Two-time Newbery Honor Book author Jim Murphy writes a stunning nonfiction masterpiece about a Christmas miracle on the Western Front during World War I.

On July 29th 1914, the world’s peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austria-Hungary Empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed into war. Soon most of Europe was fighting in this calamitous war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, the First World War. But who could have guessed that on December 25 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their enemies? In what can only be described as a Christmas Miracle, this beautiful and heartrending narrative will remind everyone how brotherhood and love for one another reaches far beyond war and politics.

 


Dog Tags #1: Semper Fido

By C. Alexander London
Scholastic Paperbacks

  • May 2013
  • $5.99
  • Ages 10-14

When Gus Dempsey joins the US Marine Corps, he knows without a doubt that he will make a great dog handler. He's always been good with dogs. In fact, he's often better with dogs than he is with people. But Loki is not the dog that Gus was expecting. Fun-loving and playful, Loki acts more like a pet than the well-trained, bomb-sniffing Marine that he's supposed to be. When Gus and Loki deploy to Afghanistan, though, they have no choice but to learn to work together. Because in war, getting along is a matter of life and death.

Also available: Dog Tags #2: Strays/September 2013/$5.99/Ages 10-14

Dog Tags #3: Prisoners of War/January 2014/$5.99/Ages 10-14

Dog Tags #4: Divided We Fall/April 29, 2014/Ages 10-14

 


Profiles #5: The Vietnam War

By Daniel Polansky
Scholastic Paperbacks

  • February 2013
  • $6.99
  • Ages 10-14

Profiles is so much more than just your typical biography. The next book in our six-in-one, full-color bio series will focus on the five W's of the Vietnam War--who, what, where, when, and why. Kids will learn all of the biographical information they need to know (background, family, education, accomplishments, etc.) about: Ho Chi Minh (Prime Minister of Democratic Republic of Vietnam), John F. Kennedy (U.S. President 1961-1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (U.S. President (1963-1969), Ngo Dinh Diem (President of South Vietnam), Henry Kissinger (U.S. National Security Advisor), and William Westmoreland (U.S. Army General). This book will help illuminate one of the most controversial wars in American history for a new generation of readers.

 


Scholastic Discover More: World War II

By Sean Callery
Scholastic Reference

  • March 2013
  • $15.99
  • Ages 10-14

It's nearly seventy years since World War II ended, but its aftereffects are still shaping our world. Nicknamed the Deadliest Conflict in History, it claimed at least 50 million lives. It was also the backdrop to atrocities we are still struggling to comprehend, notably the Holocaust and the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan. Discover More: World War II charts the course of the war, from the rise of Nazism to Hitler's suicide in April 1945. Moving firsthand accounts bring history to life and show how individuals experienced the war, be they military or civilian, adult or child. In addition to a wealth of contemporary photographs, there are detailed cutaway artworks that reveal the inner workings of vehicles that defined the war: the German U-boat, Sherman tank, and Liberator bomber.

 


Tides of War #1: Blood in the Water

By C. Alexander London
Scholastic Paperbacks

  • August 26, 2014
  • $5.99
  • Ages 10-14

Navy SEALs are some of the most elite warriors in the world. Trained to operate in sea, land, and air, they work under cover of night to carry out the US military's most sensitive and difficult missions. Cory McNab wanted to be a Navy SEAL, but he washed out of the program. Now he is a member of the Navy’s Marine Mammals Program, where he is partnered with a search-and-recovery dolphin named Kaj. Together, Cory and Kaj are the Navy’s best hope when a US spy submarine is lost in enemy waters. With the help of Kaj’s bio-sonar, they should be able to locate the submarine before its secrets fall into the wrong hands. But the mission gets complicated when a team of Navy SEALs runs into trouble. Can Cory succeed where his heroes have failed...or is he in too deep?

 


Vietnam #1: I Pledge Allegiance

By Chris Lynch
Scholastic Paperbacks

  • May 2013
  • $6.99
  • Ages 10-14

Morris, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck are best friends for life. So when one of them is drafted into the Vietnam War, the others sign up, too—each with a different branch of the US military.

Morris joins the US Navy, and he makes it his personal mission to watch over his friends from the USS Boston. But the Boston itself isn't safe from attack. And although Morris means to keep his friends safe, he may have his hands full just watching out for himself.

Also available: Vietnam #2: Sharpshooter/April 2013/Ages 10-14

Vietnam #3: Free-Fire Zone/July 2013/$6.99/Ages 10-14

Vietnam #4: Casualities of War/January 2014/$6.99/Ages 10-14

Vietnam #5: Walking Wounded/October 28, 2014/$16.99/Ages 10-14

 


World War II Book 1: The Right Fight

By Chris Lynch
Scholastic Press

  • January 2014
  • $17.99
  • Ages 10-14

The author of the acclaimed Vietnam series sets his sights on World War II.

There are few things Roman loves as much as baseball, but his country is at the top of the list. So when it looks like the United States will be swept up into World War II, he turns his back on baseball and joins the US Army. Roman doesn't mind. As it turns out, he is far more talented with a tank than he ever was with a baseball. And he is eager to drive his tank right into the field of battle, where the Army is up against the fearsome Nazis of the Afrika Korps. The North African terrain is like nothing Roman has ever known, and desert warfare proves brutal. As Roman drives his team deeper into disputed territory, one thing becomes very clear: Life in wartime is a whole new ball game.

Also available: World War II Book 2: Dead in the Water/September 30, 2014/$17.99/Ages 10-14

 


Young Adult

Prisoner B-3087

By Alan Gratz, Ruth Gruener, Jack Gruener
Scholastic Press

  • March 2013
  • $16.99
  • Ages 10-14

A gripping novel based on the astonishing true story of a boy who survived ten concentration camps.

As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has, and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner--his arm tattooed with the words Prisoner B-3087. He is forced from one nightmarish concentration camp to another, as World War II rages all around him. He encounters evil he could have never imagined, but also sees surprising glimpses of hope amid the horror. He just barely escapes death, only to confront it again seconds later. Can Yanek make it through the terror without losing his hope, his will--and, most of all, his sense of who he really is inside?


Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb

By Neal Bascomb
Arthur A. Levine Books

  • May 31, 2016
  • $17.99
  • Ages 12 and up

The author of the award-winning The Nazi Hunters returns with another thrilling true story of WWII espionage, including Nazis, nukes, fighting, failure, and everyday heroes.

April 9, 1940.

The invasion begins at night, with German cruisers slipping up a silent fjord. Soon planes full of paratroopers roar over the mountains, and in two months, the Nazis occupy all of Norway. They station soldiers throughout the country. They cripple food supplies to the Norwegian people. And at the Vemork power plant, they gain access to an essential ingredient in the weapon that could end the war: Hitler's very own nuclear bomb.

February 24, 1943.

When the Allies discover the plans for the bomb, they agree Vemork must be destroyed. But after a British operation fails to stop the Nazis' deadly designs, the task falls to a band of passionate Norwegian commandos -- young men who long to free their country from Nazi rule. Armed with little more than parachutes, skis, explosives, and great courage, they will survive months in the snowy wilderness and execute two desperately dangerous missions. The result? The greatest act of sabotage in all of World War II.


The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi

By Neal Bascomb
Arthur A. Levine Books

  • September 2013
  • $16.99
  • Ages 12 and up

In 1945, at the end of World War II, Adolf Eichmann, the head of operations for the Final Solution, walked into the mountains of Germany and vanished from view. Sixteen years later, an elite team of spies captured him at a bus stop in Argentina and smuggled him to Israel, resulting in one of the century's most important trials--one that cemented the Holocaust in the public imagination.

The Nazi Hunters is the thrilling and fascinating story of what happened between these two events. Survivor Simon Wiesenthal opened Eichmann's case; a blind Argentinean and his teenage daughter provided crucial information. Finally, the Israeli spies--many of whom lost family in the Holocaust--embarked on their daring mission, recounted here in full. Based on the adult bestseller Hunting Eichmann, which is now in development as a major film, and illustrated with powerful photos throughout, The Nazi Hunters is a can't-miss work of narrative nonfiction for middle-grade and YA readers.


If You're Reading This

By Trent Reedy
Arthur A. Levine Books

  • August 26, 2014
  • $16.99
  • Ages 12 and up

From the author of Words in the Dust and Divided We Fall: a heartwarming book about a son reconnecting with the father he lost in Afghanistan.

Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn’t recovered: Mike’s mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister Mary feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be “the man of the family,” Mike knows he’s missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father—the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn’t come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son on the eve of Mike’s sixteenth birthday. As the letters come in, Mike revels in spending time with his dad again, and takes his encouragement to try new things—to go out for the football team, and ask out the beautiful Isma. But who’s been keeping the letters all these years? And how did Dad actually die? As the answers to these mysteries are revealed, Mike and his family find a way to heal and move forward at last.


Invasion

By Walter Dean Myers
Scholastic Press

  • October 2013
  • $17.99
  • Ages 12 and up

In the prequel to Sunrise Over Fallujah and Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers brings World War II to life in sharp relief.

Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere. One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever. It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack, not knowing if today he will end up dead or alive.


Sunrise Over Fallujah

By Walter Dean Myers
Scholastic Press

  • April 2009
  • $7.99
  • Ages 12 and up

In the companion to Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers brings the war in Iraq to life in sharp relief.

Robin “Birdy” Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it: war.


Fallen Angels 

By Walter Dean Myers 

Scholastic Press

  • May 2008
  • $9.99
  • Ages 12  & Up 

A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all.

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all.


Please also find a link to Scholastic’s resource, “Guide to Teaching and Talking About War With Books for Children and Teens,” which includes even more Scholastic books for all ages about war.