D-Day

April 1, 2014
This version of the much-admired The Guns at Last Light (2013) for younger audiences focuses on the drama and the astonishing scale of one of World War II's pivotal operations: the D-Day invasion. Having plainly done his research, Atkinson seats readers at secret meetings of the Allied commanders, ejects them with paratroopers over the foggy French countryside, puts them into landing craft to hear soldiers barf and exclaim, and sends them out to die bloodily on beaches wracked with enemy fire. Along the way, he also drops almost-unimaginable numbers: 301,000 Allied vehicles gathered for the invasion, 3,000 tons of maps, nearly 700 GIs killed in a single training exercise. He also provides fascinating sidelights, from the fiendishly clever disinformation campaign preceding the invasion to the contents of K-rations. For all its scope, the story is largely told from the Allied point of view, as most of the German side of the event is confined to a single chapter. Furthermore, all the rest of the war in Europe is likewise squeezed into a chapter around two lengthy congratulatory messages from (then) Gen. Eisenhower. Within its limits, a grand and historically significant tale told with dash and authority. (maps, charts, lists of major armies and figures, weaponry, personal supplies, timelines, photos) (Nonfiction. 11-13)

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Starred review from May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-This fine adaptation of Atkinson's adult The Guns at Last Light is a readable, and even suspenseful, account of the final preparations for and successful execution of the D-Day invasion. The author gives readers a comprehensive overview of the operation, using primary-source excerpts to personalize the action, from the planning of the highest commanders, to the bravery shown by individual men who went ashore on June 6, 1944. He describes the stages of the invasion, including the transport of troops, air support and airborne operations, and ground operations conducted under withering German resistance. The author separates the five Allied landing forces into individual chapters, which allows for plenty of detail and continuity of narrative about their missions, and the varying amounts of German defenses and resistance they encountered. Although a brief epilogue summarizes the remainder of the war in Western Europe and Germany's defeat, the book focuses on the invasion and the bravery and sacrifices of the men who fought. The text is supplemented by solid area and battle maps, captioned period photos, and an informative appendix with accessible data about equipment and weapons, medical care, troops and their battle gear, and general statistics about the war. This book matches the quality of Earle Rice Jr.'s Normandy (Chelsea House, 2002) but is intended for a slightly older readership, making it an excellent choice for high school World War II buffs and report writers.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Grades 6-9 Adapted from Atkinson's adult history of the latter part of WWII, The Guns at Last Light (2013), this is a brisk, busy, gutsy look at modern warfare's most famous offensive. It begins, rather cunningly, with orientational front matter: country-by-country chains of command, a time line, and quick bios of key players. Then the authors dive into the planning behind Operation Overlord, so extensive that it began to feel like an overrehearsed play. Readers will feel the tension as world leaders fret about weather conditions and speculate upon casualties. The June 6 invasion plays out in short chapters crammed with detail and festooned with helmet icons offering important definitions. There are no main characters per se; rather, we are given short introductions to everyone from commanders to frontline gruntsfor example, Edward Cannonball Krause, who liberated the first French town. The layout is nothing splashy, but the ample, sobering photographs are well chosen and extensive, and unusual back matter (clothing issued to new GIs, pay rates, etc.) rounds off this substantial and readable package. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Atkinson's three-volume adult history of America's involvement in WWII Europe was a massive and popular undertaking, lending this adaptation an attention-grabbing gravitas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)