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This Means War! (2010)

by Ellen Wittlinger(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1416971017 (ISBN13: 9781416971016)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

review 1: This is a great example of children's literature that isn't fantasy. The story follows Juliet (a 5th grader) struggle with friends, what boys and girls can do, and the concept of bravery. The backdrop of the story is October 1962 and the Cuban Missle Crisis. I felt the author did a good job of incorporating that, so parallels and discussion of fear could be present. I have always felt that Ellen Wittlinger has a great ear for dialogue of her young characters, this is no exception. I can easily imagined this book being the one that teacher reads at the end of the days (last 10-20 minutes) and all thoroughly enjoying it.
review 2: Juliet has been friends with Lowell for years. Now things seem to be changing. He seems to have drawn a line that says boys can... more do things girls can't and they can do them better. Juliet is hurt because they never seemed to have that problem before. Then she meets the new air force brat, Patsy. Patsy befriends her and together they have their own adventure until Juliet and the girls are told to get lost. Patsy lets the boys know that girls can do anything they can do only better. Led by the town bully the boys propose a series of tests to prove the girls wrong. This eventually becomes a "war" between them. The fact that the time period is when the U.S. is watching Russia and there are rumors of War, only heighten the war between the kids. How far will the kids to go to win? This was a wonderful book about growing up and fears and how kids often handle them. It sets the time period wonderfully. Kids get a history lesson about the time period without being bombarded with a lot of historical facts in a dry way. I believe this is a book many students will be able to relate to on some level. less

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