Allies

August 1, 2019
Gratz (Refugee, 2017, etc.) weaves together fictionalized accounts of individual experiences of D-Day, the "beginning of the end of the Second World War." The action begins just before dawn on June 6, 1944, and ends near midnight that same day. Six different operations in settings across Europe, each fictionalized with imagined characters but based on true events, exemplify the ordinary people in extraordinary situations who risked or gave their lives to destroy what Gen. Eisenhower styled "the German war machine" and "Nazi tyranny." The narrative moves from scene to scene as the day marches on--a sea invasion, French citizens and Resistance fighters on land, and soldiers arriving by air--but repeatedly returns to Dee, a German fighting on the American side and hiding his German identity from comrades like Sid, a Jewish American determined to wipe out the Germans even as he suffers insults from his peers. The vigorously diverse cast is historically accurate but unusual for a World War II novel, including a young Algerian woman, a white Canadian, a Cree First Nations lance corporal from Quebec, British soldiers, a black American medic, and a Frenchwoman. The horrors of war and the decisions and emotions it entails are presented with unflinching honesty through characters readers can feel for. In the end, all the threads come together to drive home the point that allies are "stronger together." Both an excellent, inclusive narration of important historical events and a fast-paced, entertaining read. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from August 26, 2019
Gratz (Grenade) delivers a tautly paced and multifaceted portrait of the D-Day invasion. This powerful historical novel begins just before dawn on June 6, 1944, as two American soldiers, 16-year-old Dee, from Philadelphia by way of Germany, and 17-year-old Sid, a Jewish American from New York, plunge from their boats into the chaos of the English Channel to storm the Normandy beaches. The nonstop, alternating narrative traces the invasion from diverse points of view, including French-Algerian Samira, 11, the daughter of a French Resistance member; Cree Indian Lance Corporal Sam, from Quebec; and African-American medic Henry, a 20-year-old corporal from Chicago. Gratz balances the carnage and fear of war with acts of bravery and heroism, and a plotline involving Dee’s status as a German immigrant heightens the tension as he fights against his former homeland and attempts to conceal his heritage. This gripping novel, set in a single day, about a WWII turning point offers memorable insights into the contributions and alliances of everyday people. Ages 8–12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

October 7, 2019

Gr 4-8-June 6, 1944. D-Day. The Allied Invasion of Nazi-occupied France was the largest and most secretive war operation ever, requiring numerous groups to work together, to be allies, despite numerous differences among them. Dee Carpenter, a young US soldier, hides his German heritage from his Jewish best friend. Samira, an Algerian member of the French Resistance, fights the Nazis because she knows a free Algeria is not possible under Nazi rule. James, a Canadian paratrooper, can't fully explain why he volunteered to fight, but knows there is now no turning back. Henry, a black American medic, must face racism from his allies, all while also trying to save their lives on Omaha Beach. Gratz interweaves these stories and others to provide a vivid and detailed snapshot of the D-day Invasion from multiple complex and diverse characters. Much like Gratz's Refugee, the character point of view changes and allows readers to visualize multiple facets of the invasion. The stories and characters are meticulously researched, honest, and do not avoid the horror of the invasion. As well, despite the historical time setting, the issues the characters face are still timely. VERDICT A complex moment of history is deftly explored. Give to readers who enjoyed Refugee, Gratz's other World War II novels, or Eric Walters's Fly Boy.-Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2019
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* Gratz's (Grenade, 2018) latest novel memorably tells the story of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, through the eyes of a disparate cast of characters, all of whom are de facto allies. They are 11-year-old Samira, a French Algerian whose mother is a spy; Canadian paratrooper James McKay; British tank driver Bill Richards; African American medic Henry Allen; 13-year-old Monique Marchand; war correspondent Dorothy Powell; and, most significantly, 16-year-old Dee Carpenter and his best friend, Sid Jacobstein. The last two are in the front line of the Omaha Beach invasion, experiencing firsthand the hell that was D-Day. Gratz does a brilliant job of bringing the invasion to visceral life. Noting that D-Day itself was a tremendous victory for the Allies, Gratz acknowledges the taking of Omaha Beach was a near disaster, which saw some 4,500 Allied deaths. Though they are best friends, Dee keeps a closely guarded secret from his Jewish comrade: he is a German whose parents are political refugees. Now Dee is determined to return to Germany to defeat Hitler. This is only one element of dramatic tension that keeps the pages of this novel's suspenseful account turning. It's a tour de force of war fiction.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Gratz's best-selling historical fiction doesn't stay on the shelf long; expect the same from his latest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)