If you liked this book read All The Mama's and The Malachite Palace.

by Dianna Hunter English, age 20

"The juxtaposition of youth and war haunts me. They say war isn't an appropriate subject for young people, and you know what? I agree. But war doesn't care. That's why I decided to put this book together." -Jennifer Armstrong

Shattered is a thoughtful and moving look at an all too timely topic: war. Editor Jennifer Armstrong has compiled a wide variety of short stories about the wartime experiences of children. A young Palestinian daughter flees to Jordan with her family during the Six-Day War in 1967. A young girl nicknamed Jacket helps hide her best friend's older brother when he is a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Lewis Bowman, a young Mohawk, fights with the Union army during the American Civil War. Zack struggles with his American background during a 1992 "golpe de estado" in Latin America. A family of children faces the devastating effects of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Two children struggle to find safety in Israel after surviving Auschwitz.

This book treats children's experiences with respect. Many of the authors speak from their own memories, and those authors writing fiction capture the intensity, the vulnerability, and the strength of childhood. I have to admit that at first the titled worried me. It is very easy to reduce children to their worst experiences and to neglect other aspects of their human identities so that their suffering is easier for others to process. However, this book's articulation of the perspective of children is honest, and for the most part it succeeds in being authentic. It is moving and, as it should be, troubling.

Given the reality of conflict that we currently face, it is vital to remember the devastation of war, and the destruction of life that is left in its wake. Children are not safeguarded from that violence. Armstrong has succeeded in creating a diverse, compassionate, and important look at children and war.

IN MY HANDS is the autobiography of Irene Gut, a 17 year old Polish Catholic girl. The book begins with lovely recollections that Irene had of her early life in Czestochowa, Poland, where she was surrounded by her four sisters and loving parents. When the Nazi's invaded Poland in 1939, Irene was living away from her family in Radom where she was studying to become a nurse. When Radom was bombed, the Polish Army had to retreat and asked that some of the medical staff come with them to help take care of the wounded. Irene volunteered to go, and eventually ended up on the other side of Poland which was under Russian rule. Many miles away from her family, and eventually separated from the other hospital staff, Irene faced life alone, and saw the country that she loved controlled by brutes and killers.

At first this young woman saw the worst in the Russian soldiers and later she also met the German invaders who showed her another side of brutality. Despite the threat to her own life, Irene risked everything so that many others had the chance to live. This very inspiring memoir compares to HIDING PLACE the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family.

This is an inspiring tale of courage and resistence in the face of unambiguous evil. It is also the hope-filled story of grace found among the most surprising of individuals: two Soviet physicians consipring to help a young prisoner of war to escape; a Wehrmacht Officer's Club manager blithely feeding slave laborers with luxuries intended for the "master race;" a simple Ukranian priest openly preaching resistence; a Nazi officer sheltering Jews in the basement of his villa!

Above all, this is a story of choices: a story of ordinary people immersed in a living hell, who chose to keep faith with each other, their ideals, their country, and their God.

In a time when too many among us seek to avoid responsibility, here we find the story of a young woman who willingly took responsibility for herself and dozens of others. In a time when politicians conveniently twist "values education" to their own advantage, here we find the story of a woman whose religious and ethical heritage repeatedly demanded the best of her, even under the most dangerous of circumstances. Here we find a heroine on the order of Oscar Schindler or Raul Wallenburg. This life-affirming tale demonstrates that even under the most extreme circumstances, one righteous person can still change the world for the better. For that reason alone, this book is worth reading.

If you have been wounded too often, and have become just a little too cynical about the world, read this book. If you enjoy a thrilling adventure story, laced with romance, read this book. If you want to inspire a child (especially a girl) to greater moral courage, read this book with her. If you wish to remember that glimmers of light shone through the darkness that engulfed the world from 1939 to 1945, read this book.

Read this book.

This book has a moral to the story, however young children may have a difficult time capturing the essence. The story in itself is wonderful and will captivate a young audience.

Preston McClear...