Parents' Guide to

War Girls, Book 1

By Barbara Saunders, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Sisters endure separation in suspenseful sci-fi war novel.

Book Tochi Onyebuchi Science Fiction 2019
War Girls, Book 1 Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

WAR GIRLS begins in civil-war-torn Nigeria in 2172. Sisters Onyii and Ify live among other orphaned Biafran warriors. Nigerians are the enemy. Onyii has a mechanical arm, having lost her real one in the wall. She is older and directs Ify's education. Ify likes to tinker with tech, though Onyii discourages her. She's invented an earbud that gives her undetectable access to all of the information systems, including data from the augmented minds and bodies of her peers. A robot, Enyemaka, acts a governess. After an attack on the camp, they are separated: Ify is captured by the Nigerians. They build lives on opposite sides of the conflict until an opportunity arises for them to reunite.

Is It Any Good?

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Kids say (1 ):

This is a suspenseful and heartbreaking story about the price of loyalty to a cause, other people, and yourself. In War Girls, three different female characters narrate the horrors of war: One of them is prepared to fight, to the death if necessary. Another uses her wiles and imagination to perceive more of the world than others can. The third is an innocent; she has faith and love but not much ability to understand. The conflicts that drive the book are rooted in whether any of them can survive without the complementary gifts of the others and whether they can find a way to reunite. In showing how they develop empathy for each other, the author creates characters who will evoke empathy in readers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it means to be human in War Girls. Some characters have physical and mental capacities enhanced by electronics or machinery. Others are healed or restored from severe injury with fake parts. Still others can use technology to take in thoughts or sensory impressions. Which changes make a character seem more like a person? What makes a character seem like a robot or non-human?

  • Onyi is a person of action who relies on her bravery and strength. Ify leans on her intellect. How do their differences complement each other? How do they cause conflict?

  • War Girls is set in 2172. The author uses the story to make commentary about the Nigerian Civil War of 1967, wars across the African continent in the 1990s and 2000s, and current problems like electronic pollution. How does the setting help the author communicate his messages?

Book Details

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