Heroes of World War II: A World War II Book for Kids: 50 Inspiring Stories of Bravery (History's Greatest Heroes)

What a treasure of stories for further research, or just to read on their own. The quote at the end is a bonus. The format is readable and friendly to many ages. So much history in one book for teachers to explore with their classes. As an adult I a am now getting a better perspective of the many talented people who contributed to keep our nation free.

Teens at school enjoy the stories.

Purchased this for my 10 year old grandson. He started reading within minutes of opening it.

I love that this book doesn't go for the big names, or stories we've heard a thousand times. Instead it mixes big names with World War II stories you may not know, like Audie Murphy and Charlie Chaplin, with stories that are inspiring because of their creativity and strategy, like that of the Ghost Army. Add in more obscure, but equally compelling and emotional stories, like Africans being pressed into military service because they were living in a British or French colony, or stories of women and children who went into harms way in an era when our culture said that shouldn't happen... From the first page to the last, this hits the mark it aimed from, inspiring.

Earlier this year I read and reviewed two related titles from this series, both by Kelly Milner Halls, VOICES OF ORDINARY HEROES and VOICES OF YOUNG HEROES. Now some of those same historic and heroic characters have been joined by entirely new names in this grouping of a full-color, oversized paperback collection that has similar structural assets and compelling narration in readily consumable passages. The table of contents makes this a helpful research tool, and the consistent pattern of each featured hero’s section is an open invitation to readers to turn the page and read just one more. And then one more. Four-page layouts begin with a color, comic book-style portrait illustration, followed by two pages of text, with wide spacing, wide-borders, and easy-to-read font. The fourth page of the layout displays a showcase quotation in the hero’s own words, followed by a short “Explore More” recommendation of an original source, a link to related museums or websites, or other novel or nonfiction titles portraying similar heroes. This bite-sized and easy-on-the-eyes approach makes substantial content both appealing and digestible for the young reader target audience, but also makes this an ideal offering for older readers with interest in WWII who will appreciate the reader-friendly and well-researched format of this collection of profiles. What I particularly appreciated, among many things, is the diversity of individuals featured, ranging in ethnicity, nationality, geographic arena of action, age, and range of “heroism” portrayed. In some cases, those heroic choices were known to very few, or even remained hidden from public knowledge for decades, like Mariya Borisovna Bruskina. Others, like Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel, have been the subjects of books, documentaries, and movies. Even so, their larger-than-life stature on the stage of WWII resistance and heroism can overshadow the intimate look at their lives that these summary profiles provide. Some may surprise you with their inclusion, like Mae Krier, a “Rosie” working on the homefront, or Wojtek, the bear, who was fostered, adopted, and then “enlisted” in an Italian military group to bolster the spirits of young men facing likely death or disaster. In every case, Halls makes a clear case for the ways in which heroism can be found in each of them. Without didactic suggestion, their lives and choices remind readers that the potential for heroism lies in each of us. The selected quotations would make a wonderful weekly calendar turn, with nearly enough for a full year: For example: “I WILL ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING I AM GOING TO DO. I AM CONSOLED BY MY STRONG FAITH THAT GOOD DEEDS CAN NEVR BE WRONG.” Those words to live by are the selected quotation by Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz. Not sure who that is? Get the book and find out! While you’re at it, suggest it to your library and recommend it to teachers you know. Then add it to your shopping list for gifting to middle-grade readers, and maybe even some older folks you know to have an interest in World War II. I received a copy of this book from the publisher with no promise of a review.

"Why do you want a kids' book about World War II?" my wife asked when I requested a copy of this book for review via the VINE program. She knows that, as a journalist, I have a life-long interest in the World War II era among other important milestones in world history. "I just can't understand why you need a kids' version." The reason is: This colorful book quickly takes readers through dozens of fascinating stories from that era, many of which WWII history buffs may have overlooked through the years. I got this book and was literally lost for a couple of hours as I made my way through the chapters, turning down the corners of pages where I want to learn more. One example is the chapter on "The Ghost Army." Until about 10 years ago, most of us didn't know much about this remarkable unit that was charged with "faking" distractions for Nazi forces. Already, I've read one other book on this group, which is available from Amazon, "The Ghost Army of World War II," published in 2015. There's also a PBS documentary on the Ghost Army available on Amazon that I can recommend. Seeing this fresh chapter about the ghost army in this book led me to search Amazon again for other books about this unit and I wound up deciding to read another new one. That's how this book represents a kind of colorful index of topics you might want to explore further. It's a gateway to so many stories we may have overlooked. There are so many other examples throughout this book. Just to highlight one more: I wasn't aware of the story of Jane Kendeigh, until I read her profile in this book. That, in turn, led me to another great book available on Amazon: "Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific." I could go on and on. The chapter in this book on Charity Adams Earley led me to another book on Amazon, "Standing Up Against Hate: How Black Women in the Army Helped Change the Course of WWII," just published in 2019. So, I highly recommend this book, not just for kids, but for history buffs and particularly those of us who are fascinated about the larger scope of the WWII era.

Wow, this book is full of little nuggets that fascinate and make you want to learn more about the history of WWII. And I am not generally interested in war history as typically told -- leaders, tactics, battles -- meh. But this is the *GOOD* stuff -- the riveting stories of "secondary" players who are actually primary. The very first profile is stark -- female spy caught and tortured. If your child isn't familiar with the horrors of WWII, this book will be eye opening, so make sure your child is mature enough for it. I do think it helps to know the basics of WWII history before diving into this book, but if you didn't, the book would make you go learn the basics so you could understand the bigger picture in which these stories fit. Each profile is followed by a suggested book for further reading -- really great books like Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac. Have you ever heard of the Ghost Army? I hadn't -- read the 3rd profile in the book and you'll be hooked. I already requested the follow-up book suggestion from the public library. I highly recommend this book for any teen reader, and it would make a great addition to any classroom library. Kids will vie for time with this book once they discover it.

Kelly Milner Halls has been writing for young readers for over three decades and this book really showcases her ability to address hard topics in age-appropriate ways, but I wasn't expecting the range of emotions I'd feel reading some of these profiles. Some of these people you've heard of: Anne Frank, Josephine Baker, Marcel Marceau, Elie Wiesel, Charlie Chaplin, Audie Murphy. Most you haven't, but their stories needed to be shared to a wide audience. You've likely heard of Oskar Schindler (p133), but I'll bet you haven't heard of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz (p129), a German diplomat in Denmark who helped 7,000 Danish Jews escape, or Abdol Hussein Sardari, and Iranian diplomat who helped save thousands of Iranian Jews escape Hitler's Final Solution in France, or Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania who helped over 2,000 Jews escape before Germany invaded. The soldiers' stories I expected - my grandfather was a WWII veteran and I'd heard his stories of combat in the Pacific - but the civilians profiled here really amazed me. Some of these profiles were informative, some were astonishing (the Oversteegen sisters, Tom McPherson, the Night Witches - I mean, come on - such bravery!), some were really moving (the Scholl siblings, Mariya Borisovna Bruskina), some you just want to root for. Actually, all of them you want to root for. If there's one message from this book, it's that no matter how young you are or how small you may feel, you fight the bullies. You fight the fascists. You fight the Nazis.