A World War II Must Read by Tod Olson (post by Paul Greci)

I have the good fortune of having my classroom in a little room in the School Library. Having my classroom in the library puts me in direct contact with all the new books coming in.

This week, Lost in the Pacific, 1942 by Tod Olson caught my eye. I took it home over the weekend and started reading it.

The short summary from Kirkus reads:

Olson tells the harrowing true story of how eight men in three tiny inflatable rafts, lost in 68 million square miles of shark-infested Pacific Ocean without food or water and near enemy-held territory, survived three weeks before being rescued.  A riveting, completely engrossing true survival story. (glossary, author‘s note, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

I haven’t finished the reading the book yet but the story has swept me away. Without any spoilers, I’ll just say it’s written in a directly, powerfully and personally.

Here’s the beginning:

The Pacific Ocean looked calm and inviting from 5,000 feet up, from the drone of four sturdy motors in Jim Whitaker’s ear. But he had no desire to land a 15-ton, 4-engine plane down there. To a B-17 bomber, plunging from the sky, the ocean is as unforgiving as a concrete wall. 

      Yet by 1:30 p.m. on October 21, 1942, that was the only option left.

               -Tod Olson-(page 1, Lost in the Pacific, 1942)

If you like history and true survival stories, then this book is for you.

From the Author’s website: Tod Olson is author of the historical fiction series How to Get Rich and the narrative nonfiction series, LOST. He holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and lives in Vermont with his family, his mountain bike, and his electric reclining chair.

Thanks for stopping by.

Paul Greci is the author of Surviving Bear Island, a 2015 Junior Library Guild Selection and a 2016 Scholastic Reading Club Selection.

The Wind Is Not a River

The Wind Is Not a River by Arnold A. Griese is an amazing piece of historical fiction set in a place that is often overlooked in World War II studies— on Attu Island at the edge of the Aleutian Chain.

From the back cover:

A quiet Sunday morning, June 8, 1942, on the lsland of Attu, off the Alaskan coast. Sasan and her younger brother, Sidak are on their way to church when they realize that their village will soon be taken over by the Japanese army. Escaping the invaders, they helplessly watch the capture of the village. Now, hiding out in the hills, they must take their food and shelter from the land the same way their Aleut ancestors did. And when they discover a wounded Japanese soldier on the beach, their belief in the old ways, which Grandmother taught, is put to a crucial test.

Ages: 7-10

Pages: 128

List Price: $9.95

Cover: Paperback

Published: 11/1/1995 (originally published in 1978)

ISBN: 1-56397-564-5

ISBN-13: 978-1-56397-564-6

I first devoured this book several years ago and hope to work it into my classroom this year. If you’re looking for an exciting story with well-developed characters that will provide you with a window into a unique time and place, then I’d recommend The Wind Is Not a River.

I’ve also read and enjoyed another of Griese’s middle grade novels, At the Mouth of the Luckiest River where “a physically impaired Athabaskan boy defies the odds and becomes a great medicine man in this true story set in nineteenth-century Alaska.” Library Journal gave it a starred review.

These are both classic Alaskan middle grade novels with really cool illustrations by Glo Coalson.

If you have one, share your favorite MG historical fiction, or one you really enjoyed, in the comments!! I'd love some more titles.

And my little piece of news, my young adult novel, Sacrifice Area, which is set in the future in Alaska, was awarded second prize in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s 2012 contest in the young adult/middle grade category.

Thanks for stopping by.