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DARK TERROR

Name: DARK TERROR
Author: John Wilson
ISBN: 978-0-385-67832-2

by John Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2015

A fascinating war tale that will have young readers digging in for a captivating read.

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In 1915, 15-year-old miner Alec Shorecross decides to leave the army and join the Royal Flying Corps but finds himself in an “underground war” instead, in Wilson’s second novel marking the centenary of World War I (Wings of War, 2014).

Caught in a rockfall in a copper mine in Coachman’s Cove, Newfoundland, Alec sees no future other than mining or fishing, so he joins the army. Soon, though, he decides that he wants to make a difference beyond just being a soldier. “My contribution is futile. What can one person do?” So, instead of being “another soldier among thousands,” he joins the Royal Flying Corps—but with no flying experience, he is assigned to the 169 Tunnelling Company in France, ironically leaving the mines of Canada to tunnel under the battlefields of the western front to set explosives under the German lines. Young readers might be familiar with trench warfare of World War I, but this part of the early war will likely be new and fascinating to them, and Wilson ably evokes the claustrophobic, dark terror of the underground war and the coming of age of young men amid the battles. A bit of a romance with a pretty Belgian nurse foreshadows her prominent role in Wilson’s next book about the Great War.

A fascinating war tale that will have young readers digging in for a captivating read. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-67832-2

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE RUINED CITY
by John Wilson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE THIRD ACT
by John Wilson

- BOOK REVIEW
A SOLDIER'S SKETCHBOOK
by John Wilson ; illustrated by R.H. Rabjohn

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THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE

by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2024

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates.

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Siblings decode familial and wartime secrets in 1940 England.

Headstrong 14-year-old Lizzie Novis refuses to believe that her mother, a U.S. embassy clerk who was working in Poland, is dead. After fleeing from her grandmother—who’s attempting to bring her back to America—Lizzie locates her 19-year-old brother, Jakob, a Cambridge mathematician who’s stationed at the clandestine British intelligence site called Bletchley Park. Hiding from her grandmother’s estate steward, Lizzie becomes a messenger at Bletchley Park, ferrying letters across the grounds while Jakob attempts to both break the ciphers generated by the German Enigma machines and help his sister face the reality of their mother’s likely fate. With a suspicious MI5 agent inquiring about Mum and clues and codes piling up, the siblings, whose late father was “Polish Jewish British,” eventually decipher the truth. Shared narrative duties between the siblings effectively juxtapose the measured Jakob with the spirited Lizzie. Lizzie’s directness is repeatedly attributed to her being “half American,” which proves tiresome, but Jakob’s development from reserved to risk-tolerant provides welcome nuance. The authors introduce and carefully explain a variety of decoding methodologies, inspiring readers to attempt their own. A thoughtful and entertaining historical note identifies the key figures who appear in the book, such as Alan Turing, as well as the real-life bases for the fictional characters. Interspersed photos and images of ephemera help situate the narrative’s time period.

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates. (Historical mystery. 10-14)