War Games (by Akila Couloumbis, Audrey Couloumbis)

Based on Akila Couloumbis' wartime childhood memories, this story has a reality much different from most Hollywood-influenced war stories. But by the same token, real life in an occupied village wasn't always filled with slam-bang excitement, and this story can be slow at times -- realistic, but not always enthralling. This is best for patient readers. Those who do have the patience will find that the suspense and tension ratchet slowly up, and there are moments that are breathless and moving.

There are no great victories or defeats, though the ending is quite satisfying, there's no resolution, little in the way of heroics, and no cardboard villains either. In fact it's the German colonel, doing his best to make an unpleasant situation less unpleasant, who says, "I think we can agree. Wars should be fought among men, not boys. Boys have to grow up. Even in war, boys play." These are people who quietly endure, who try to live a life as ordinary as possible in extraordinary times, and who know what's most important.