After My Brother Sam (sequel to My Brother Sam is Dead) by James Lincoln Collier - OPTIONAL

After My Brother Sam (sequel to My Brother Sam is Dead) by James Lincoln Collier, 144 pages. Scholastic, APRIL 2026 $19. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (peril, kidnapped by soldiers, gang violence) 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SOME 

Continuing almost immediately after Sam is killed, Timmy tries to help his mother keep the Tavern going. But every time he goes to buy supplies, he's waylaid and robbed by British soldiers, American soldiers, even a band of children in New York. It's all they can do not to starve. When soldiers come to the tavern, they even take whatever they want. A girl, Becky, joins Timmy on his journey back from New York, but she becomes more hinderance than help. With both Father and Sam gone, things looks pretty hopeless. 

Wow. I was excited to see a sequel 50 years after the original was published, but surprised to see it was very short, less than 150 pages and was pretty much a description of one problem after another, with no good things happening to balance the misery. Timmy gets captured by soldiers on more then one occasion and always seems to get away, his mother never seems to leave the Tavern and doesn't try very hard to keep him from leaving, too, sending him on fruitless shopping expeditions and letting him "rescue" people, which never turns out well. I honestly didn't see the point in this sequel. Maybe it gave Timmy and his mom some closure? 

Timmy is white and American, but not on either side of the conflict. 

Lisa Librarian 

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson - ESSENTIAL

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson, 405 pages. Atheneum (Simon and Schuster), 2025. $19. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (scary people, peril; descriptions of smallpox); 

BUYING ADVISORY:MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

13yo Elsbeth is a maid for Judge Bellingham, a member of the Royal Governor's Council and a loyalist. It's 1776, and the siege of Boston gave patriots control of the city. Loyalists left Boston and Judge Bellingham with them. Elsbeth's father is missing and she is desperate to find him, she has no secure employment and may end up in an orphanage. Then a wealthy family, the Pikes arrive, and Elsbeth becomes their maid-of-all-things. They have a housekeeper who quickly shows her distaste for Elsbeth, so she doubles down and works even harder. But when smallpox starts spreading, and inoculation is the answer to getting a light case, Elsbeth, who survived smallpox as a child, becomes even more valuable to the family. But her father has some sketchy acquaintances, and his past threatens her future. 

I love Laurie Halse Anderson's histories so very much. On the shelf it seems a huge book, and page wise, yes, but the story is so engaging! I thought it would be about battles and the revolutionary war, but it was more about the lives of the people trapped in Boston, first by the seige, and then by the smallpox. Readers of historical fiction will like this one, it reminded me of Ann Rinaldi's books I read in the 90s. Highly recommended, but I have trouble getting kids to read fat books and historical fiction, I hope the tide turns soon. The characters are white. 

Lisa Librarian 

Lady Flyer by Heather B. Moore - ADVISABLE

Lady Flyer by Heather B. Moore, 416 pages. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. $28.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

Nancy Harkness fell in love with flying at a young age and got her pilot’s license when she was 16 years old. A few years later, she became the 54th woman in the United States of America to have a commercial pilot’s license, and Nancy continued to work hard for a career in aviation. When WWII started, Nancy passionately started lobbying for female pilots to help with flying jobs in America to free up the men to go to war, but opposition arose at every step.

With our modern-day freedoms, it’s easy to forget that we stand upon the shoulders of people like Harkness who fought for equality. It is also fascinating to see how these pilot pieces fit into the history of WWII and shaped our ability to win that war. I never knew that these pieces were part of the puzzle, but Harkness and those who worked with her were key players. The story is bittersweet with all the losses felt even amidst the celebration of the end of the war, and the happy ending comes when we recognize that the reality of women in the workforce today, especially in regard to aviation, owes credit to Harkness’s determination.

Nancy is depicted as white on the cover, and the majority of characters are implied white. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, and mentions of sexual harassment. The violence rating is for death and for mentions of war and suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Guts for Glory by Joanna Lapati - ADVISABLE

Guts for Glory: the story of the Civil War soldier Rosetta Wakeman by Joanna Lapati. PICTURE BOOK NON-FICTION Eerdmans, 2024 $20 9780802854643 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

At 19yo, Rosetta Wakeman left her family farm and headed out to join a unit fighting in the Civil War. Throughout the war she sent letters home - the only known existing letters from a disguised female soldier. 

Lapati's scratch board illustrations are quite vivid and interesting to look at. The story is very simple. Wakeman's gender was never discovered, in fact her youngest sister thought that "Lyons" was her older brother. Those are the most intriguing parts of the story - the rest is pretty typical and simple. Rosetta is white.

Cindy, MS Librarian, MLS

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon - ADULTS

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon, 411 pages. Lake Union Publishing, 2023. $17.

Language: R (37 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The Thomas farm was the second home Deborah moved into as an indentured servant—and, with ten sons, Deborah couldn’t deny that they really needed her help. Impossibly, Deborah fit in. Until she grew into being a woman and the Thomas boys started enlisting in the Revolutionary War. Deborah wanted to serve her country too, but she couldn’t enlist as a woman. So she enlisted as a man.

Based on a true story, Deborah’s story is enlightening for the struggles soldiers faced even as they birthed our country—a success that seemed out of reach in a war that went on longer than expected. I admire Deborah’s hope and dedication as she faced daily uncertainty and tragedy. And her hope is lasting. We, like Deborah, can be true to ourselves and fight for right, no matter the reasons others give for why we can’t or shouldn’t.

The majority of characters are British, French, and those starting to define themselves as American. There is also one Polish character and a handful of African American characters. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mentions of nudity and rape, innuendo, and implied sex. The violence rating is for description of war, mentions of child abuse, battle scenes, gun use, blood and gore, murder, and suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Seen and Unseen by Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki - ESSENTIAL

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki, 123 pages. NON-FICTION Chronicle/Blue Apple. 2022. $22 

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (protesting resulting in people shot and 1 death). 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

After the Japanese Military bombed the American base at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese and Japanese Americans along the west coast of the United States were gathered up and imprisoned in camps for the duration of the war. Lange, Miyatake and Adams were photographers who documented this experience. 

The text on the pages is brief, with the pictures telling the bulk of the story. I loved that one perspective was Japanese, and that Lange and Adams had differing opinions about the imprisonment. Tomaki's illustrations are great, my favorite is when she finished a photograph, showing the reader what wasn't in the picture the public saw. A great book for a student who wants to learn more - easily accessible for upper elementary, or could easily be used in a class to introduce this element of WWII. 

Lisa Librarian

Cloaked in Courage by Beth Anderson and Ann Lambelet - ADVISABLE

 Cloaked in Courage: uncovering Deborah Sampson, patriot, soldier by Beth Anderson and Ann Lambelet. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Calkins Creek (Astra), 2022. $19. 9781635926101

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

At the age of five, Deborah was hired out as a helper because her mother couldn’t afford to keep her children. At eighteen, she took her freedom and took a chance to enlist in the Continental army. Carefully hiding her gender, she fought as hard as the other soldiers around. Even when injured, she managed to keep her secret. It isn’t until she is felled by a fever that she is finally discovered.

I love the back matter where the author talks about research – especially for someone where so little first person information exists. Great for any school covering the American Revolution or women’s history. Check out the case wrap, too.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

Days of Infamy by Lawrence Goldstone - OPTIONAL

Days of Infamy: how a century of bigotry led to Japanese American internment by Lawrence Goldstone, 288 pages. NON-FICTION. Scholastic, 2022. $20

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (mentions prostitution); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL; ADULTS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Before Executive Order 9066 sent thousands of Japanese American citizens to concentration camps, decades of white supremacy fueled the flames of racially based suspicion and hatred that allowed American citizens to be imprisoned without trials – based only on their ancestry.

Without using racially charged language and slurs, Goldstone peels back the layers of history that pre-date World War II. Unfortunately, this is a very detailed book that few students will pick up and read all of the way through. I will be buying this because my history teachers need to read this – so does anyone who touches upon the history of the Japanese in America, the Alien Sedition Acts, World War II.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS 

To the Front! Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam by Claudia Friddell and Christopher Cyr - ESSENTIAL

 To the Front! Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam by Claudia Friddell, illustrated by Christopher Cyr. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Calkins Creek (Boyds Mill/Astra), 2022. $19. 9781635923223

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

After the soldiers, Clara Barton and her men are the first people to reach Antietam before the battle started. As soon as the first shots were fired, she and her men descended on the field to help the men in any way necessary, from tending to feeding, watering, and bringing light. Her actions made the difference for thousands of lives that day, and never stopping.

The excellent backmatter gives even more details about Barton’s considerable charity work. Friddell blends her own words will Clara’s to give us a first-rate look at another facet of the Civil War. Cyr’s illustrations evoke the feeling of the time period that we are familiar with from the art of the day. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS 

Stealing Home by J. Torres - HIGH

Stealing Home by J. Torres, 112 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Kids Can Press, 2021. $18.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG (internment camps); Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

The story follows the family of Sandy Saito, a young Japanese-Canadian boy who is obsessed with baseball, as they lose everything in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Within the course of a year, the Saito family and 21,000 other citizens were rounded up and shipped inland to hastily constructed camps. Throughout their experience, the Saito family clings to fragments of normalcy, like playing baseball.

This graphic novel serves as a great introduction to the very difficult topic of Japanese internment. It focuses on a family who lived in British Columbia, but the same experience happened to thousands of families along the western coast, in the US and Canada. I feel like Japanese-American internment isn’t something that is addressed very often when discussing WWII history, which tends to focus more on the European theater. I would definitely recommend this for middle school and high school libraries.

BookswithBeddes 

Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michael O. Tunnell - ESSENTIAL

Desert Diary: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire by Michael O. Tunnell, 134 pages. Charlesbridge, 2020. $20

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content PG; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

8yo Mae Yanagi and her classmates are prisoners in the Topaz Camp in Utah during World War II. She and her classmates kept an illustrated classroom diary. The diary, coupled with insightful research, illuminates what resilient people can do when faced with the unthinkable. Topaz was located in a harsh, square mile of Utah desert, holding upwards of 8,000 people. 

Loaded with pictures and photos of the original class diary, this is an inviting and captivating read. Information is presented in accessible themed chapters. This is a beautiful rendering of a dignified people unfairly placed in a terrible situation. 

 Michelle in the Middle 

Displacement by Kiku Hughes - ADVISABLE

Displacement by Kiku Hughes, 280 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL First Second, 2020. $18.

 

Language: PG (2 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: PG (kissing) Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Her first displacement happened while 16yo Kiku and her mom were visiting San Francisco. Suddenly fog rolled in and Kiku was looking at the street her grandmother lived on in 1936, and there was a violin recital . . . but it only lasted a few minutes and Kiku was back. But it happened again. Even after returning home to Seattle, she was still displaced - time and place traveling to witness her grandmother's story firsthand. Kiku is sent to Tanforan incarceration camp, living near but not with her grandmother's family. Housed with another single woman, Kiku experiences the hardships of the camp and after 6 months she is moved to Topaz in Delta, Utah, where she attends school and is faced with the same questions and fears as other Japanese living in Topaz. 

I liked how Hughes accounts for the loss of Japanese culture in her generation, and the connections she makes to the current political climate. Very similar to "They Called us Enemy" by George Takai, I like that the interior illustrations were in full color - kids will be more likely to pick this up, but it lacks the power of personal experience brought by Takai for his graphic novel. I struggled with the time travel element as well, it just didn't work for me.

Lisa Librarian

Pixie Pushes On by Tamara Bundy - ESSENTIAL

Pixie Pushes On by Tamara Bundy, 227 pages. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin), 2020. $17            

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS  - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Pixie is sent to live with her grandparents on a farm and she is not very happy about it. She feels that she is bad luck for everyone, and blames herself for her sister getting polio. She has to learn to do chores on the farm and collecting eggs is the worst - one of the chickens always attacks her. New hope springs up in her heart when her grandpa brings home a baby lamb that he wants Pixie to take care of. He warns her that the lamb is a farm animal, not a pet. She names the lamb Buster, and as he grows he follows her everywhere.          

A delightful story set in the 1940's during World War II. Pixie has spunk, and she is very brave, but she is makes rash judgments. I loved how Pixie matured during the book and how she was able to deal with all her inner struggles. She even makes some unexpected friends. I kept cheering for Pixie during the whole book. Such a good read!

Ellen-Anita, Librarian

Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle - ESSENTIAL

Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution by Gretchen Woelfle, illustrated by R. GregoryChristie, 196 pages.  NON-FICTION.  Calkins Creek (Boyds Mill), 2016.  $19.

BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE

When the Revolutionary War was being fought on America’s soil, the 500,000 enslaved African Americans were left out of the idea of freedom for all.  That didn’t mean they didn’t think about freedom, however. 

Woelfle explores the stories of 13 of these men and women who also dreamed of freedom.  Some names might be familiar; others will be completely new.  Any student who has read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson should be directed here for a non-fiction pairing and more depth to this chapter in our history.  While kids may not gravitate to it on their own, I can’t imagine not having it in my collection.  How did I miss this two years ago?

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Price of Duty by Todd Strasser - ESSENTIAL

Price of Duty by Todd Strasser, 177 pages.  Simon, 2018. $18.

Language: PG-13 (21 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (one passing scatological reference); Violence: PG-13 (some blood and shooting)

BUYING ADVISORY:  MS – OPTIONAL, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Jake may have come home for the Middle East a war hero, but he feels like anything but.  His demons haunt him night and day.  His girlfriend has been faithful, but is she ready to live with a man fundamentally changed?  And Jake has big decisions to make – is he willing to go AWOL and not return to that nightmare.  It would devastate his grandfather, who is a very big deal in their military proud town, but it might just save his life.

There cannot be enough books that shed light on the honest costs of war.  Not only is this essential to have in your library, but it should also be taught.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Siege by Roxanne Orgill - NO

Orgill, Roxanne  Siege:How General Washington Kicked the British Out of Boston and Launched a Revolution, 221 pages.  Candlewick Press, 2018.  $18.  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13. 

George Washington is elected to lead the troops against the British, but it is not always easy because the supplies are low and they don’t have much financial backing.  When the British gain control of Boston, the rebel American troops concentrate their efforts on removing them slowly.  With disease and shortage of supplies many suffer as the battle is waged, but eventually Washington beats out the British. 

This book is written in free verse, which is where everything went wrong.  There is not a storyline to follow and unless the reader has a pretty extensive knowledge of the Revolutionary War I’m not sure they would understand most of what is being presented.  The verses read like incomplete sentences and even the fictional character who occasionally cropped up throughout didn’t bring any personal interest to the history.  The violence includes torture, capital punishment for soldiers who abandon their post and one reference to a man’s head being blown off.  Great cover though.

MS – NOT RECOMMENDED.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Hear the Wind Blow by Mary Downing Hahn - ADVISABLE

Hahn, Mary Downing Hear the Wind Blow, 271 pages.  Houghton Mifflin, 2003, 2017.  $8.  REPRINT.  Language: PG ( 5 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (hanging, war violence)

Haswell and his family are barely surviving on their Virginia farm during the American Civil War.  Their father has already died and they haven’t heard anything from the oldest son for months.  When a rebel soldier takes refuge with them and Union soldiers retaliate by burning down the farm buildings, Haswell has no choice but to make a desperate journey to take his sister to safety and enter the area of the most vicious fighting to find his brother – dead or alive. 

It was nice to see this title refreshed and reprinted. I am so used to Hahn’s ghost stories that this one always surprises me.  I also like it for its reminder that all kinds of people lived in the South during the Civil War and it is important to remember them and understand their stories.

EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Different Days by Vicki Erwin - ADVISABLE

Erwin, Vicki Berger Different Days, 28 pages. Sky Pony Press, 2017.  $18.  Content: G.

Rosie and her family have lived on Oahu for more than a generation.  But when Pearl Harbor is bombed, its not only Japanese citizens who are rounded up – so are citizens of German descent.  Rosie’s mother and father are taken away without explanation, leaving Rosie to take care of her little brother alone.  Their Aunt Etta helps for a little while, but even she is taken by government officials.  While their other aunt takes them in, she doesn’t want any of her friends to know they are related.  And the man who seems to be in charge of their parents’ property and finances is definitely up to something fishy.  Even if her parents return, will there be anything for them to come back to?

I think most people know about Japanese Americans being sent to internment camps, but some 11,000 German Americans were also interned.  Based on the life of Doris Nye, who lived on Oahu.  It is nice to see more of these hidden stories coming to light.

EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher