Woodford Brave

August 10, 2015
With WWII raging overseas, Cory Woodford is filled with pride that his father is fighting Nazis. Cory longs for superpowers like the heroes of the comics he both reads and creates so that he can prove he is “Woodford Brave” like his forebears. To Cory, this means catching Mr. Ziegler, his German neighbor, whom Cory and is certain is a Nazi spy. Cory is also worried about losing his best friend Aiden to their baseball-loving neighbor Sawyer, and a new girl in town drives an additional wedge between them. Jones (Ratfink) captures the absolutism with which Cory initially views the world—where all Germans are bad, and bravery means never showing vulnerability—then deftly charts his journey to discovering that life has more shades of gray than he had realized. Period details, like the victory gardens Cory’s mother and neighbors tend, and newcomer Whipple’s b&w comics sequences (which track a superhero story Cory writes and draws over the course of the novel) help give readers a sense of the story’s wartime setting, though the questions Cory faces are just as relevant for readers today. Ages 9–up.

September 1, 2015

Gr 5-7-Cory Woodford longs to be considered brave like his grandfather, a World War I hero, and his father, currently a solider fighting in Europe in 1943. He is convinced that his neighbor, Mr. Ziegler, is a Nazi spy, simply because he's German. Cory also wants to prove himself to Sawyer, the local hotshot baseball player. Cory's hoping to win back his best friend, Aidan, who has been spending more time with Sawyer lately. When Anne moves into the neighborhood and begins to challenge all of Sawyer's assumptions about girls, Cory struggles with how to react. As he draws cartoons to send to his father, which mimic the superhero comics he reads, he struggles with what it means to be brave. When it is revealed that Anne is really Anya and that her family is German, Cory is torn. He has begun to view her as a friend, but how can that be, when she's the enemy? Through a series of dares and life-changing news and revelations, Cory grows to learn what it means to be a hero, also coming to understand that people are not always as they appear. This is a strong coming-of-age story that contains important truths for today's readers. While the character development is a tad thin and the ending is a bit abrupt, this would nevertheless make a wonderful book for classroom reading or book group discussion. VERDICT A solid work of historical fiction that's perfect to spark discussion.-Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2015
Cory Woodford is eager to prove his bravery, just like his grandpa, a World War I hero, and his dad, serving in World War II.He drags his mates, Aidan and Sawyer, on a mission to prove that their neighbor Ziegler is a Nazi spy: he's German, after all. Aidan and Sawyer are not convinced but, tired of Cory's boasts, go along primarily to tease Cory about his failures. They almost entirely ostracize Cory when he befriends a girl, Anne. Cory is sure he'd succeed at his task if only he had a superhero's powers. The tension and rivalry among the boys is compounded by stereotypes and prejudice that intensify as the war hits closer to home. Cory's dad dies, and Aidan's brother becomes a conscientious objector. The final straw: Anne is German! Emotions are raw. Cory has some revelatory talks with his mother and must reconsider whether mettle is inherited. He also does some soul-searching through his own comic-book-strip creation and alter ego, Warrior's Kid, who has a parallel storyline. The two stories play off each other, the graphic panels punctuating Cory's ingenuous narration. A mild and appealing historical tale with relevance to current events, as the author points out in her note. (bibliography, further resources.) (Historical fiction/graphic hybrid. 8-12)

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