Jack Montgomery by Michael P. Spradlin - ADVISABLE

Jack Montgomery (Medal of Honor) by Michael P. Spradlin, 96 pages.  NON-FICTION  Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan), 2019.  $16.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Jack Montgomery was a World War II hero whose selfless actions in the heat of battle saved the lives of his fellow soldiers and made an important impact on the progress of the Allies.  Jack was a Cherokee who during the Great Depression joined the Oklahoma National Guard.  As Jack went throughout his life, he progressed through the ranks until he was a First Lieutenant of the 45^th Division (which is known as the Thunderbird division because of the different Native Americans who were in the division).  The invasion of Italy in 1944 is covered as Montgomery’s troop was involved in that front of the war.  

This short, yet exciting account of Jack Montgomery’s contribution to the war was hard to put down.  I liked the way that Jack’s story went back and forth between what was happening in Europe during the war and Jack's life before the war.  I also enjoyed the inserts that included side notes about different parts of the war that affected Jack and his division.  I think 5^th and 6^th graders would enjoy the story as well as middle school, but there is a morbid picture that is part of a spy story that is upsetting, so be aware of that.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson