War Stories

Trevor is obsessed with WWII.  He spends most of his time playing video games about the big battles, and his walls are covered with posters of explosions and battle equipment.  It's no surprise his great grandfather, GG, is his favorite person.  Jacob Firestone is a WWII vet who loves nothing more than telling stories about his time in the war, and Trevor is a willing audience.  

Jacob was part of the force that liberated the French village of Sainte Regine 75 years ago, and he's been invited back to be honored on the anniversary.  But he won't be going alone.  Trevor and his father, Daniel, will accompany him as he retraces his steps from basic training in Fort Benning to the D Day invasion and finally to Sainte Regine.  

Trevor has never been more excited about anything in his life, but his father has concerns.  He's been monitoring the Sainte Regine Facebook page.  While most of the posts are celebratory, some of them are threatening.  They allege that Jacob Firestone is no hero, and warn him against returning to the village.  

GG brushes off the warnings and revels in telling all his old war stories as they retread his path, but as they get closer to Sainte Regine, he becomes sullen and withdrawn.  Trevor has always believed in a simplified version of WWII with clear lines of distinction where his GG was a hero, but the more he learns about the realities of war, he starts to realize maybe his dad is right, and war is horrible even if you are fighting for the right reasons.  Is it possible GG isn't the uncomplicated hero Trevor has always believed him to be?

Gordon Korman's new book is different from his usual humorous school story fare.  This book switches back and forth between the present and Jacob's experiences in the past exploring some of the complicated nature of war, and the thread of mystery adds a page-turner element to the story.  I will say, even though Jacob's war experiences are supposedly told in real-time, they do seem a bit far-fetched.  Out of all the people in his unit, it is always Jacob who notices the one vital detail or somehow ends up saving the day.  Gordon Korman fans will pick this up and perhaps broaden their reading horizons, and those who enjoy war fiction will eat this one up.  Recommended.