This Month's Book Reviews

A serious novel for kids about two young boys
involved in World War II

Author Dean Hughes, in his acknowledgments at the beginning of "Soldier Boys," asserts that he had spent the previous seven years doing research on World War II. The detail in the 230 page novel for kids reflects how carefully the book had been researched. A young reader is apprised of how differently two young boys - one German, one American - are initiated into a patriotic drive to become part of the battlefield action of World War II. The propaganda campaign of the Nazis is much more overt for the young German than that experienced by the American boy from Utah. However, both are equally influenced by a youthful coming-of-age desire to prove themselves to be "real men."

In the plot, both boys are finally committed to the awful rigors of the battlefield in the Battle of the Bulge near the last stages of the European campaign. The surprise ending should even further contribute to a young reader's understanding of what it means for individuals to be active participants in a war. Any youthful romantic illusions about war should be pretty much dispelled by that point.

A mystery about a girl who suspects she is a clone
of a deceased sister

"Double Identity" by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a kids' novel about human cloning and the complications surrounding the life of a teen-ager who gradually discovers that she is the clone of a sibling. The story unfolds as a mystery with full details withheld until the ending. The heroine's father is a medical doctor who, without authorization, used findings from a company that employed him to clone a deceased daughter. The founder/owner of the company had been imprisoned for criminal misappropriation of money. It is only on the release of the company owner that the ex-doctor and his wife fear that they and their daughter are now in danger, even though they had taken extreme measures to hide their identities. Events are told from the viewpoint of the thirteen-year-old cloned daughter who in the beginning knows nothing at all about her unusual origin.

A boy solves a mystery and helps his town survive
at the same time

Andrew Clements, author of "Room One," is one of the best known of children's authors. His authorship of more than fifty books for kids has resulted in numerous awards for him. The 2008 release of the paperback version of "Room One" is his most recent. The little novel received the Edgar Alan Poe Award for juvenile mystery stories. As with many of his novels, much of the action centers on school. "Room One" refers to the single large room still being used in a largely abandoned school building in a small town. Young readers pick up real life lessons while reading about characters to which they can readily relate.

An unusual dog book for kids that takes a close look
at the lives of wolves

Children's author Elizabeth Hall was motivated to write "Child of the Wolves" when she observed the wolf-like characteristics of her Siberian husky. She studied wolves and consulted with students of wolf behavior in writing her little book. Other than her giving names to the animals, the author tells a straight forward third-person account of how a young husky realistically might be accepted into a pack of wild Alaskan wolves. Any young reader, attracted to animal stories, would find the book informative as well as enjoyable.