Code Talker - Joseph Bruchac

Genres: Historical Fiction, War
Recommended Grades: 5 Up

As a minor history buff I have always enjoyed reading stories that gave me a picture of the past, particularly stories that dealt with events I did not know much about. Because of this I found Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac a really interesting read. Until reading this book I knew very little about the Navajo Indians that served as code talkers during World War II.

The story centers around Ned Begay, a young Navajo boy living on the reservation in Arizona. The early part of the story gives the reader some insight into life on the reservation - the traditions and ceremonies, the culture and also the Navajo's interaction with White America. Ned's family sends him to an American run boarding school for Navajos. One of the goals at the boarding school is to take the Navajo culture out of the kids and turn them into Americans - the children are not even allowed to speak in their native language. This is ironic because a few years later, at the onset of World War II, the US military comes to the Navajo people for help. They need men that can speak both Navajo and English fluently. The military needs to develop a code that the Japanese can not break and the Navajo language will be the key. Ned joins the Marines and becomes a code talker. During the second part of the story the reader gets a great look at some of the key battles of the war in the Pacific; namely Bougainville, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Through this book we see the vital role the Navajo played in the US victory in World War II.

I thought this was a good book. While this is fiction the book seems to be historically accurate. I learned a lot about a part of US history I was not aware of. I think this book could be read by a wide age range - the writing is simple enough for a middle school kid yet the story is interesting and informative enough to keep a high school kid engaged. I would particularly recommend this book to kids that are into history and war.

An Innocent Soldier - Josef Holub

Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, War
Recommended 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.