Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lively, nuanced D-Day story of tween and war hero.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old Trevor Firestone adores his 93-year-old great-grandfather Jacob, a decorated World War II veteran who tells a lot of WAR STORIES. Trevor plasters his room with combat posters and spends all his time blowing up armaments and buildings in video games based on the conflict. When word comes that the French village once liberated by Jacob's unit wants to honor him at a ceremony, Trevor is in heaven over the chance to revisit the sites of all these exploits. As they make their way from boot camp through training bases and the Normandy countryside, Jacob's recollections bring the past (sometimes heroic, sometimes just stupid and gross) to life. Meanwhile, though, Trevor's dad is worried, because somebody who doesn't seem to share their enthusiasm is posting nasty remarks and threats on the village's Facebook page.
Is It Any Good?
Master storyteller Gordon Korman packs a lot of history and wisdom into this nuanced tale of battle, memory, and family. There's more to war than blowing up buildings and bad guys, as 12-year-old Trevor discovers when he revisits D-Day, on location, with his great-grandfather, a decorated veteran. War Stories offers alternating chapters of Jacob Firestone, 17-year-old infantryman trying to survive and also beat Hitler, and of Trevor's impressions as the family makes its way through Normandy and he learns about a lot of tragedy, loss, and foolishness that happened right along with the heroics.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about World War II and its effects on the lives of people caught up in it. How does War Stories compare with other stories you know about that era? Does it give you a different view of those events?
Have you ever heard a story of events you've actually lived through -- and found that it's very different from your own experience? How does that make you feel?
Do you have family members who had interesting adventures in the past? What did they do? Do you think you'd like to do the same things, or are you happy to avoid the whole experience?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : July 21, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 240
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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