Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, WarRecommended Grades: 8 Up
A good friend is priceless. Many of us would find it nearly impossible to make it through the trying times of our lives without the support of our friends. In fact, some would say that someone is not a true friend until they have been there with you through the tough times.
An Innocent Soldier is the story of an unlikely friendship between two young soldiers in Napoleon's Grand Armee. Adam is a simple-minded, sixteen-year-old farmhand unwittingly forced into the army by his farmer. Konrad is a sixteen-year-old lieutenant of aristocratic blood. Though the lines between officer and enlistmen and aristocrat and commoner are clear, the harrowing experiences these two boys face together forge a friendship that goes beyond social and economic boundaries.
While this is ultimately the story of two friends, the book does a great job of taking us into Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russian in 1812. The conditions these soldiers faced, the lack of supplies and ultimately the futility of Napoleon's plan are made crystal clear in this book.
This book would be a great read for anybody interested in wars. Also, this is a good "buddy book" for boys. Lastly, I think portions, if not all of this book could be a useful tool for teaching the Napoleonic Wars.
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