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Year Of The Jungle (2013)

by Suzanne Collins(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0545425166 (ISBN13: 9780545425162)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Scholastic Press

review 1: Collins uses her own experience to tell a personal story of war seen through a child’s eyes. Firstgrader Suzy’s father is deployed to Vietnam. At first, though she misses him, she dreams of the exotic jungle. But as the year goes on, marked by Christmas trees and candy hearts, things get harder. His postcards arrive less and less frequently, while news of the war, and its real dangers, comes more and more often. In the end Suzy’s father returns, and while some things are different, some things are the same. Collins’ unflinching first-person account details the fears and disappointments of the situation as a child would experience them.Although the book represents powerful feelings and emotions as you read along, it includes light-hearted anecdotes and illustrations... more of Rascal the cat providing a good balance between the seriousness of the feelings addressed. In terms of cultural representation, the book seeks to represent military families and in larger contexts the war in Vietnam, relevant to today where children’s parents and family members are deployed in Afghanistan and also in terms of general connotations of war. It offers a portrayal into the ways of thinking of families and children of people who have family members in deployment, with messages to younger readers about the feelings and emotions these people go through, which is significant and meaningful to children today.
review 2: This book by the Hunger Games author is very well done. At first I wasn't sure what we were up against but then...I realized it was autobiographical and got a little tears in my eyes. Having a brother who has been to Iraq 3 times, it is hard to send love ones into a war zone. You don't want to watch the news because of all the horrors you see, and you can't wait for that call, email or letter. Back in the late 60s how hard it would be for days and weeks on end with no word from your solider. This is a good book to talk about war, and she writes in the way that it makes kids understand. She knew her dad went to the Jungles of Viet Nam, but her favorite tv character lived in a Jungle that was nice and safe and fun.. so she paralleled with her understanding! The pictures are very child like (Like a child drew them) but I think that is the point. This story is about a small child and who she is dealing with her dad being in a war zone. I liked it! Why not 5 stars... I don't know.. it isn't one you can read over and over again, but it touched me all the same so a 4 in my rating system is pretty good!! less

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