Jungle Fighters by Jules Archer

This book is the author's true accounts of the Allied efforts to protect New Guinea during WW II. Failure to defend this land would lead to the Japanese invasion of Australia. The author, Jules Archer, helped defend Allied forces against enemy air attacks, and he also had experience with land battles. This book describes his memories of victories, defeats, humor, and bravery. The author also shares the stupidity of military decisions and the stubbornness of some officers leading to the unnecessary deaths of thousands of soldiers. There are many examples in the book, but the stories of "Lieutenant Baxter", a fake name of a real officer, highlight the problems.

Fighting the enemy in the jungle was difficult due to the heat, flooding rains, dangerous animals, and disease. Baxter created new problems right away when he took over Archer's plotting platoon. He refused to care about the welfare and morale of his troops; he had his men set up pup tents and sleep on the ground even though there were larger tents with cots available. He ordered the men to move jeeps, trucks, and equipment into a deep ditch even though Archer and others warned him that torrential rains would wash everything away. Guess what happened nine days later? He endangered the lives of his men by refusing to allow them to take cover during enemy bombing raids. I've only shared a couple of incidents, but Archer was finally able to convince the Army that Baxter was incompetent and got him removed.

Despite the examples of poor leadership, the bravery of the American and Australian soldiers shined through. Sick, tired, and hungry men were still able to defeat Japanese forces that outnumbered them by thousands. Herman Buttcher was wounded twice but still led his men to overtake enemy positions that had previously killed hundreds of other soldiers. Sgt. Bill Simon had bullets in a rib and shell scraps in his arm and leg, but he still returned to successful bombing missions. Sgt. Tom Derrick single-handily took over an enemy ridge by scrambling across the area, tossing grenades, and taking out ten Japanese posts. He accomplished this feat even after his battalion had been ordered to retreat, because leaders did not see any way to win.

The author honestly shares his frustrations with the military efforts, but Archer's stories celebrate the courage and determination of the American and Australian warriors.

The Changed History Series #2: Fantastic Fugitives by Brianna DuMont

Wow! Think of a buddy telling you stories about famous people who rebelled against society resulting in important historical changes. Some of the changes were news to me. Some of the people might have done terrible things, say John Dillinger and Typhoid Mary, while others clearly were not, like Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman. Reading non-fiction is not something I usually enjoy, but reading about all these legendary fugitives was fun and informational. I didn't really know how Martin Luther hugely changed the Catholic religion in the early 1500's, or how Koxinga's armies in the 1600's started a dispute between China and Taiwan that's still going on today. The FBI was formed because of Dillinger's criminal activity, new disease control was needed after Mary's cooking spread typhoid around New York City.

The author writes about these important people in history using a VERY casual and amusing style. Cleopatra marrying her little brother was "super gross considering he was ten years old", and the author called him "pip-squeak Ptolemy". The whole marrying one's relatives thing was compared to "a bad reality show". Typhoid Mary's poor choices caused people to "diarrhea themselves to death", and Virginia Hall "made Rambo look like Bambi." After sharing their stories, the author summarized how the culture or society was changed forever because of them. Pictures and side stories in the margins were an added bonus. "Fantastic Fugitives" offers an entertaining way to learn history! I would have enjoyed history classes more if DuMont had written my books!

Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood From Sports Legends by David Stabler

I read very few non-fiction books. However, I love sports, and this book shares interesting stories about sports superstars when they were kids. Peyton Manning says the most pressure he's ever felt was dancing the tango on stage in front of his family and friends. I had to look up the video on YouTube after reading his story! I never knew Jackie Robinson was the leader of a street gang or that Babe Ruth was sent to a reform school at age seven. Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas and 7' 6" Yao Ming were victims of bullies as they grew up. Babe Zaharias and Billie Jean King were discriminated against from competing in sports, because they were girls. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players in the world, needed to get growth hormone injections, because people thought he was too small to play.

The short stories are easy to read and tell the childhood challenges of male and female superstar athletes. Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Danica Patrick are just a few of the other athletes shared in the book. Their stories should inspire all young readers to keep trying to reach  their dreams. I liked how the book covered sports ranging from gymnastics to boxing, football to sumo wrestling, and baseball to soccer. There are stories of athletes from long ago, and stories of athletes still competing today. The short story format should appeal to young readers, since they don't need to remember the plot and all of the characters, like in a fictional novel. It's saying something when a non-fiction book can entertain and inform as well as this book. All sports fans will love it!

One of Us by Jeannie Waudby

K has no family, survives a bombing by the Brotherhood, and agrees to secretly gather information about the group for a man named Oskar. She's given the new identity of Verity and finds it hard to believe that any of the students might be capable of causing explosions and killing people. She sneaks into the leader's office to get a list of names, but she's not sure if she'll give it to Oskar. Verity doesn't know what his group will do with the names, and she's stunned to discover Oskar has given K's identity to a dead body. With a major Reconciliation Agreement looming, she doesn't know who can be trusted or who she can turn to.

The main characters were around fifteen years old, so this book is for more mature visitors to my blog. Nothing inappropriate happened, but the issues were more serious. The book made me think about how society treats organizations with different ideas. I wasn't exactly sure how to compare the groups to the real world. Oskar's people were never clearly identified until the resolution, so I wasn't sure if he was a true policeman. I wasn't sure if members of the Brotherhood were simply peaceful and misunderstood or if they were terrorists. It was hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, but that added to the mystery. It was easy to root for K/Verity, since seemed to be used by everyone. I had my suspicions about the other characters, and the plot came to an exciting climax. It's not the kind of book I typically read, but I really enjoyed it.

As if Being 12 3/4 isn't Enough, My Mother is Running for President by Donna Gephart

Vanessa Rothrock is a typical seventh grader, except that her mother is governor of Florida and is running for president. Vanessa makes it to the regional spelling bee, and she's very upset when her mother doesn't show up. It seems like her mother is more concerned with becoming president than she is about caring for her daughter. Vanessa feels a little bit of sunshine when she starts receiving sweet notes from a secret admirer, but then something frightening happens. She starts getting notes threatening to kill her mother and her! The notes warn her not to tell anyone, but they also say July is a good month to die. July is when the Democratic National Convention will be held, and her mother will officially be chosen as the Democratic candidate for president. It's also the month Vanessa lost her father, and she doesn't want to lose her mother too.

This book probably has more appeal for girl readers. Vanessa deals with issues experienced by all middle grade girls. She's embarrassed by her slow physical development, except for her over-sized feet, and she's wants the cutest boy in class to like her, except that he's a jerk. She also has less common problems, such as having a bodyguard follow her everywhere and having to worry about being on the national news. The early part of the plot deals with Vanessa's obsession with spelling and boys, but it becomes much more serious once the threats appear. After that, the plot becomes more of a mystery as readers anticipate an attack on her mother.

The Classroom #4: When Nature Calls, Hang Up by Robin Mellom

It's the last week of the school year, and all of the students at Westside Middle School are heading into the woods for a camping trip. Trevor is very nervous about the trip and does all he can to get out of it. After he finally decides to give it a chance, he's paired with the class bully who's been tormenting him for a year. The bully has plans for some epic pranks that all have Trevor as their target. Also, Trevor's best friend, a fanatically organized girl, is in charge of the last day's social event, and her lack of ideas has her very anxious. To top things off, Molly, a girl Trevor likes, will be moving away after the school year ends, and she can't find a good time to tell him.

The book is told from the points of view of several students and staff members, and it's written like a documentary. Different characters are able to share their thoughts and feelings about the events in their own chapters, while the plot is told in the other chapters. The feelings and insecurities are typical for middle school students, and the author is able to share them in amusing ways. Several of the bully's pranks backfire, and one of the characters smuggles her finicky pet cat into the camp. This book is the fourth in the series. I feel like I've read one of the earlier books, but it didn't seem necessary to enjoy this one.

Catch You Later, Traitor by Avi

The setting is in the 1950's, and the fear of Communism is spreading across the country. Pete is living a normal life in Brooklyn, until the day after open house. The teacher announces to the class that Pete's dad is a Communist, so everyone starts to ignore Pete or treats him like an enemy. His best friend, Kat, is being spied on by another student, so her father can make sure they aren't talking anymore. The FBI is even investigating Pete's dad, and he could be put in prison if the government thinks he's Communist. His crime? He told the teacher that schools should teach more about the history of black people and the common man. However, Pete thinks there's more to it. Is his father a Communist? Did his father or grandfather do something that could get the family in trouble? How could an innocent young boy's life go so wrong, so quickly?

I hope young readers give this book a chance. Although, the fear of Communism isn't as rampant today, an analogy can be made to way some Muslims were treated after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Pete's character battles huge internal and external conflicts. The teacher's verbal attacks and being shunned by kids who were his best buddies the day before present challenges. Pete is confused by things his father said, and he's not sure what to do about an FBI agent. Kat is challenged by the whole situation too, because she doesn't want to abandon her best friend. Pete treats the whole situation like it's a mystery, and he's the detective who will solve it. Sections of the book are written in italics to mimic the tone of old, old mystery novels and movies.