(1) YA After the Greek god Hephaestus catches his wife Aphrodite, goddess of love, in a passionate affair during WWII, Aphrodite defends her actions by relating--with pathos and wit--two intertwined love stories involving four mortals swept up in WWI. Masterful storyteller Berry's tight, short, descriptive chapters span years, continents, and multiple perspectives. This poignant saga will make readers by turns laugh, cry, and swoon. Extensive historical notes on WWI appended. Bib.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Katie Hickey. Inspired by the British women of the Women's Timber Corp, Davis relates their journey to the forests and back again, as well as their daily lives learning to cut trees. Hickey's pastoral scenes are warm and nicely detailed. The text's constant incorporation of numbers ("Six painful blisters heal and strengthen over time. Two hands willing to work...") distracts from an otherwise interesting slice of WWII history. Historical note appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA Lillia's Jewish family plans to escape the Nazi threat in Warsaw for Shanghai, but when their circus is raided they're separated from Lillia's mother. Lillia starts out naive at fifteen, and DeWoskin sensitively shows her maturing and accepting the role of sole breadwinner, taking a job dancing at a club. Rich prose details 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai through the eyes of a first-person narrator making sense of an unfamiliar setting. Bib.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) YA This scholarly book (based primarily on Edsel's adult volume The Monuments Men) tells of the men (and one woman) who risked their lives on the front lines of WWII to preserve priceless art and buildings from destruction and looting. Despite being packed with photos and reproductions, the complex and specific subject matter, along with the dense prose, make this young-readers volume feel very adult. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Nine-year-old Rudi escapes Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport to England. Rudi finds a way to smuggle his beloved pet dachshund Hanno into England, where British citizens are euthanizing their pets ahead of the inevitable bombings. But Rudi, with the help of like-minded new friends, is determined to save his pet. Even though the telling feels rushed, this is an readable and touching WWII story.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA In 1944 London, thirteen-year-old Bertie Bradshaw finds himself in the middle of espionage and intrigue, racing against the clock to unmask a Nazi double agent before WWII's top-secret D-Day operation commences. With red herrings, ciphers to decode, a subplot about a Jewish refugee, and cameos by real-life historical figures, there's never a dull moment. Back matter includes a "roster of terms, events, and historical figures" and solutions to the ciphers.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) YA Janeczko (Double Cross) revisits the topic of deception as a war tactic in this fascinating, detailed look at the so-called "Ghost Army" during World War II. The unit consisted of sound engineers, actors, camouflage experts, and set designers, who helped create the illusion of fake troop movements using sets, sound effects, and showmanship. A lesser-known WWII story that should enthrall history buffs.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Julia Kuo. Hanako's family, interned during WWII and pressured by the government, renounces the family's American citizenship and returns to Japan after the war. Hanako is horrified at the devastation; however, the unconditional love of her grandparents allows her to adjust to a completely different way of living. Kadohata brings readers tightly into Hanako's psyche as she struggles to comprehend near-impossible situations--and ultimately to recognize the strength of people in the most challenging of circumstances.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(4) 4-6 Adapted from an adult edition, this volume chronicles a rescue by American soldiers of prized horses taken by the Nazis. Letts's immense affection for horses is clear: Lippizaners, Arabians, and their breeders, trainers, and riders are celebrated; war's inhumanity to horses is lamented. Attributions of human thoughts and sentiments to the horses may jar some readers' understanding of equine abilities, but horse-lovers will go along for the ride. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard. During WWII, Sam and Keiko's class is knitting socks for U.S. soldiers. Before Keiko's family is sent to an internment camp, kindly Keiko leaves behind a note and a pair of hand-knitted socks for Sam's soldier brother. Sam (whose family is Jewish) determinedly makes a scarf to mail to Keiko in return, the phrase come home safely taking on new meaning for him. Many of the border-framed illustrations aptly look like vintage photographs. Appended with information about internment camps.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) YA The incredible life and achievements of American-born spy Virginia Hall is relayed in exciting detail in this volume. During WWII Hall worked as an undercover agent for both Britain and the U.S. and worked closely with the French Resistance. Her daring exploits will thrill young history buffs and those interested in real-life spy stories. Extensive notes are appended, and photographs are frequent throughout. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lea Lyon. Says young Moishe Moskowitz: "The wolves are coming" to Poland, "a country that has no use for us. / A country that bullies its citizens / beats up on us because we are different." The Nazi wolves soon reveal their plans: the ghetto, concentration camps, death marches. Smith's spare, eloquent verse is complemented by occasional watercolor sketches. An author's note from Moskowitz-Sweet offers more about her late father on whose memories this historical-fiction verse novel is based.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) 4-6 A middle-school project prompts violin prodigy Charlotte (known as Charlie) to research the great-aunt for whom she was named and who disappeared during the Holocaust; her persistent detective work leads to unexpected discoveries about her family. Sweet twelve-year-old Charlie's story provides an accessible entry point into the Holocaust and its connections to people living today, with a dash of hopefulness amid the difficult history.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series. Set in a Virginia coal-mining town during October of 1942, this second novel in Smibert's planned trilogy finds seventh grader Bone hoping that her Gift--the ability to touch an object and experience its owner's memories--will unlock the secrets of a jelly jar that steals sounds. Magic realism, historical fiction, and folktales are nimbly braided together with realistic portraits of grief.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Medal of Honor series. Montgomery, a Cherokee first lieutenant fighting in Italy during World War II, and Pitts, an enlisted sergeant fighting in Afghanistan are two of approximately 3,500 American soldiers who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. These biographies, accompanied by context-setting sidebars and captioned black-and-white photographs, compellingly relate each soldier's heroic battlefield feats despite injuries, and recount their lives before and after. Bib., glos. Review covers these Medal of Honor titles: Jack Montgomery and Ryan Pitts.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(2) 4-6 On England's southeast coast, where Pa tends a lighthouse, Petra lives an idyllic childhood until WWII begins. Then Pet's German mother is interned as an enemy alien--the first of many upsets and mysteries for Pet. This is historical fiction, but it reads like an old-fashioned detective adventure, complete with a secret smugglers' tunnel and attempted murder. Vivid writing and an intense, intrepid heroine provide substance and charge.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA Interned during WWII, the Katsuyama family was forced to sell its flower shop and spent years earning enough to buy it back. Contemporary teen CJ Katsuyama, who works in the family shop, fights for the shop after learning it might be sold to a corporation. The story paints an engaging picture of a girl facing the past--both her family's and her own--in service of her future. Ind.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Katy Wu. WWII-era film star Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) was also an inventor whose "brain overflowed with idea after idea." Though Lamarr's technology is widely used in today's electronics, it took decades for her work to be acknowledged. Well-chosen quotes reveal Lamarr's frustration with people's assumptions about her intelligence based on her "pretty face." Approachable digital illustrations ably portray Lamarr in glitz-and-glam-Hollywood mode and at her inventing table. Reading list, timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(1) YA Former U.S. Congressman Norman Mineta, who shares his childhood experiences at Heart Mountain Internment Camp, is the heart of this book about Japanese American internment during WWII. Warren smoothly moves from her subject's personal experiences to incorporate the larger picture of the 120,000 people interned across the U.S. Warren leaves much to ponder about our nation's past and present, about "this beautiful tapestry that is America." Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA Consummate historical-fiction writer Wein here exercises her considerable skill as researcher, historian, and storyteller in a capacious history of the USSR’s three regiments of airwomen during WWII. Wein takes us deep into the training, daily lives, combat, and intense personal commitment these women experienced throughout the war. An easy, friendly writing style invites readers into the company of a formidable sisterhood. Illustrated throughout with maps and period photographs. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019