War

I went to see The Darkest Hour  last night. It’s the film about newly appointed Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the struggles and opposition he faced deciding whether to fight Hitler and the Nazis or negotiate a peace settlement. Gary Oldman is outstanding as Churchill and the supporting cast did their job admirably.  I didn’t like the cinematography or the music but the script was superb. I suppose you might say that’s a typical response from a librarian, preferring words over visuals! Anyway, it got me thinking about books for children and young adults that deal with war and here are two of my recent reads.

I’ve just finished Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys , you can read my Goodreads review on the feed so I won’t repeat myself. I just wanted to share how such horrific tales can be told to young people in a way that helps them understand war and all its horrors and Sepetys does this very well. Give it a try. I’d say it’s for Middle School readers.

I also just found out that the Once series by Morris Gleitzman has another book in it, what a treat that is. The story is so rich and engaging, despite the terrifying threat that is ever-present. Here’s the link to the series including the latest title.

Interestingly, both authors had family members whose childhood experiences contributed to these stories which give them more gravitas. I’m just appalled that children are still being exposed to situations of war and finding themselves homeless, alone and scared. In Europe, we are aware of the refugees fleeing from war-torn Syria and the Middle East in general and in Asia we are aware of the plight of the Rohingya people fleeing from Burma. We need to tell their stories and keep working towards peace.