Soldiers Game

 

Soldier's Game by James Killgore follows Ross, a young football (soccer) player named Ross as he learns the story of his great grandfather.  His great grandfather was a professional football player who (along with his entire team) joins the military and goes off to fight in the great war.

This is a fantastic book that combines sports and war history.  The reader is taken into the life of the soldier so they can really understand what it was like to be a soldier during world war one without feeling like you're stuck in a history book and the football sequences were fantastic.  There is a nice set of facts at the back so readers can get information about the war.  It is a short and quick read.

Appropriateness:  This is the perfect book for intermediate and middle school boys.  It is short (around 160 pages) and is full of sports and battle scenes that will encourage reluctant readers.  The war sequences are brutal but not graphic.  Ross is around 12 and while his great grandfather Jack is an adult the story is told in a way that will engage younger readers (a soccer star goes to war).  I would encourage teachers and librarians to get a copy to put on your shelf.

Review copy obtained by netgalley

Now is the Time For Running

 Now Is the Time for Running by Michael Willams, follows Deo a young boy who is forced to leave his home in Zimbabwe after his family is killed in political violence.  Deo is out playing soccer with his friends and his older mentally challenged brother Innocent when soldiers roll into town.  They abuse his brother and then kill everyone in his town while Deo is trying to save his brother.  Deo and Innocent escape and through the help of friends and strangers they escape and cross the border into South Africa.  They face many dangers during their journey and when they get to South Africa they are faced with Xenophobia violence and poverty.

Now is the Time for Running is a very well written book that does a good job at making the African refugee experience relateable to a middle school audience.  The author does not shy away from including the horrors that happen in those situations but also does not overly describe these things in a way that would traumatize a young reader, Deo's experience walk the fine line between being an adventure and being horrible.  Deo's love of soccer is something that kids can relate to and the play by plays of the games are written in a way that makes the reader able to picture the game in progress.  

Appropriateness:  This book contains many adult situations but does so in a way that is appropriate for young readers.  There are a few instances of implied rape (a woman is taken away and hurt on the inside by soldiers for example) that include very little detail.  The horrifying murders and beatings that take place in the book are described simply and without a lot of detail.  The drug addiction faced by the main character is handled in a realistic manner that in no way makes the drug seem positive.  This is a book that boys would really enjoy.  I would recommend this book to ages 12+.

Review copy received from the publisher.  The book will be released on July 5th.