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Voices from the Second World War

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Voices from the Second World War by candlewick press is full of powerful first person accounts of the Second World War. Many of the interviews in this book were conducted by children. This book is really a window into history. Packed with valuable information as well a a glossary. This book would make a wonderful gift and would be a good resource for any teacher to have on the classroom shelf.

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Fabulous, engaging and haunting. This book was a pleasure to read from a history teacher stand point. Highly recommend this one!!

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This book was first published in England in association with First News, a children's newspaper. The book's foundation is a collection of interviews children conducted with their friends and family who lived through World War II.

This is an absolute gem of a book, and I'm so glad that it was published. This collection of the stories of ordinary people who lived through the war is a great way to preserve history. The book groups the interviews into categories, such as evacuated children, D-Day, and The Holocaust. The breadth of the stories gives readers a greater understanding of the various facets of the war, from the tragedies, to the heroics, to the mundanities.

Because the interviews were organized in Britain, there is, understandably, greater representation of British war stories, but I was impressed with the variety of experiences and nationalities represented.

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"Voices from the Second World War: Stories of War as Told to Children of Today" eBook was published in 2018.

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains a few scenes of Violence. The book is a collection of very short (mostly 2-3 pages each) stories about World War II experiences shared with today's children. Views are recorded from military and civilian, Allied and Axis. The accounts give a very different look at Wold War II and the lives of those who lived through it.

I thought that this was an interesting 7 hour read of this 320 page non-fiction book. I learned a few things while reading. I had never heard of the Land Girls. I did find that the stories began to get a little repetitive. I think that Young Adults would be interested in these accounts, but would have a difficult time reading the book cover-to-cover. I can see where teachers would want to share selections with their classes when the World War II era was being covered in history. I liked the cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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As generations grow farther and farther from World War 2, we live in danger of losing the stories of those who lived through the conflict. Voices From the Second World War collects the stories of veterans and citizens alike into one volume, but what sets this book apart from other first-person anecdotes and memories is the bridge that Voices builds: the stories are told to children from this generation; family members and students alike. Originally published in Britain, Voices began as an initiative by the British Children's newspaper, First News, where they published these collected accounts. There are accounts from military men and women, including the Enola Gay's navigator, telling the story of how he dropped the bomb on Hiroshima; and there are stories from civilians who endured the conflict, like the 8-year-old boy who survived that bombing, lost his mother and baby sister, and saw his father and surviving sisters die from radiation poisoning. There are stories from concentration camp survivors and German citizens who lived in fear of the Russian troops coming in after the Allied forces left. Vintage photos run throughout the book, and an index and glossary make this a necessary reference for history readers and collections.

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When I was in college, I discovered a book by Studs Terkel called The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two. Terkel had collected the memories of a wide variety of people, providing a good overview of how each interviewee was impacted by the war. If you haven't read The Good War yet, I highly recommend it.

Oral histories have always fascinated me, so when I heard about Voices from the Second World War, I was pretty excited to see what it was all about. It turned out to be a unique collection of short, first person recollections (most are only 1-2 pages, some longer) told to some of today's young people, and though the book is basically Britain-centered, there is still plenty included for all children to appreciate.

The book is organized into 16 sections that follow the course of the war from outbreak to the fall of Japan. Interviewees relate their experiences in the RAF, the U.S. Navy, working as a Land Girl or a code breaker, being evacuated to London in 1938 with the Kindertransport from countries being threatened by Hitler, leaving family behind and often never seeing them again, being evacuated from London to the countryside when war was declared in 1939, fighting in the Resistance, surviving the Holocaust and POW camps. Readers will also read what the navigator of the Enola Gay has to say about the bombing Hiroshima, as well as hearing from a survivor of that bombing. It is affecting and compelling to read about how different people reacted, endured, and survived the circumstances this terrible war threw at them.

All of the stories are equally important, though some readers will surely recognize at least a few of the people interviewed. There is, for example, Sir Nicholas Winton, the humanitarian who saved 669 children in 1938 when he organized the Czechoslovakian Kindertransport to bring them to Britain and place them in homes where they would be safe from the Nazis (Sir Nicolas passed away shortly after being interviewed by Amélie Mitchell and Daniel McKeever.

Readers may also be surprised to learn that two favorite children's authors, Shirley Hughes and Judith Kerr, both had wartime experienced. Shirley was 12 when the war started, and living near Liverpool with her mother. She told her interviewer that at times the war was very frightening, at other times, it was very boring, but she had involved herself in doing things like collecting salvage for the war effort. When the Nazis started bombing the docks in Liverpool, Shirley stayed where she was rather than be evacuated to safety. Shirley Hughes has written a few books about WWII, including Whistling in the Dark, an novel based on her own wartime experiences.

Judith Kerr's experience began in Berlin almost as soon as Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Because her family was Jewish and her father was an outspoken critic of Hitler, it soon became apparent that the family needed to leave Germany. Packing only what they could carry so that they wouldn't arouse suspicion, Judith decided to leave her beloved pink bunny behind. The family made it to Switzerland, then to London in 1936. Fans of Kerr can see where the inspiration for When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit came from.

Each memory provides the reader with a personal window into the past told by those who actually lived it. What is particularly nice is that all the memories were collected by school children, some of whom you will meet at the beginning of the book.

In addition, each memory includes black and white photos, most are personal, but there are lots of photographs from the war in general. There is also an Index of Subjects, and an Index of Interviewees, as well as a useful Glossary.

As more and more of the witnesses to World War II die and take their stories with them, it is important to record their memories. Fortunately, what Terkel did for adults with The Good War, these young people have done for other children with Voices from the Second World War.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was provided to me by the publisher, Candlewick Press

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I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Voices From The Second World War is a collection of first hand accounts as they were told to children by the men and women who lived through World War Two. The book is divided into chapters that focus on different parts of the War, such as "The British Homefront " and "The Holocaust". Each of these chapters begin with introductory material that gives readers background information about the topic. Every account is begun with an introduction to the speaker and the child (or children) they shared their story with; each account also includes pictures of the speaker in the present and the past.
Because these stories were told to children, their content is age appropriate and easy to understand. A glossary at the end defines words that young readers might not be familiar with but will encounter in the book. I love the idea behind Voices from the Second World War; as the WW2 generation begins in shrink in number, their stories begin to disappear as well. The Second World War will never be forgotten. It will always be taught in schools. But being consigned to history won't preserve the details. By sharing their stories with a new generation, the tellers are ensuring that their story survives.

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Voices from the Second World War is a collection of short, but captivating, stories from the interesting perspective of people who lived through WWII. Some of the stories are inspiring tales of miraculous survival and others are simply heart wrenching. The stories help the reader to imagine what life must have been like, especially for children caught in the war. I couldn’t help but to think of how different those children’s lives were from my carefree childhood. I believe this book is best suited for middle school ages and above due to the intense subject matter that one would expect on this topic. I enjoyed learning more about WWII though these intriguing stories.

I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

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I loved this book! I have read many books on World War II, but none have been quite like this one. The first-person accounts from mostly ordinary people are filled with small details that really make their stories come alive. Contributors include people who experienced the war from a variety of perspectives such as those who were young children when Hitler came to power and war broke out, as well as men and women who served their countries during the conflict. There are reports from people of many different nations, including women who worked as Land Girls, children who survived the Holocaust, youth who fought with the Resistance in Italy and France, men who were captured by the Japanese army, and a boy who was living in Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped there. Some of the narratives are only a couple of paragraphs, while a few are several pages. Most of them are just a couple of pages long.

The book is well organized with chapters on the British Homefront, the Resistance, Women at War, The Holocaust, The Fall of Japan and many other topics. The text is enhanced by many black and white photographs. A subject index, an index of contributors and a glossary are included at the end of the book.

One could use this book as a reference to learn about just one aspect of the war, but each story is worth reading. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about this important event in history.

Although most of the accounts are told in such a way that they are accessible to all ages, there is some content that may not be appropriate for young children. There are a few religious profanities and since this is book about war, there are some disturbing descriptions of violence.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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Voices from the Second World War
Stories of War as Told to Children of Today
Candlewick Press

Candlewick
Children's Nonfiction
Pub Date 20 Mar 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Voices From the Second World War through Candlewick Press and Netgalley:


This book reminds children that World War Two changed the course of history. That up to eighty million people died in this war!

This book is a collection of memories of the survivors of World War Two many of these stories were collected by Children.

We learn of Douglas Poole who joined Britain's Territorial army or army reserve in 1937 and he was one of the first called up when war broke out! We learn too of Veronika Syrovatkova who was four years old when the Nazi's invaded the Sudentland. She talked to to India Dalton Biggs about what her life in Czechoslovakia was like while under German Occupation! We learn of Francisek Kornicki who joined the Polish Air Force College in 1936, when he was only nineteen. He fought for Poland during the war and then he moved to France and finally Britain where he fought with the Royal Air Force! (RAF).

In August 1939 Ken (Paddy) French moved from Ireland to England, a month later war would break out!

In September of 1939 Jasmine Blakeway was seventeen and on Holiday in France when war broke out.


Sir Nicolas Winton talks to Amelie Mitchell and Daniel McKeever why he set up the Kinder-transport program from Czechoslovakia in 1938.

Mary Black was evacuated out of England to Canada, she was born in Austria.

We learn to of Ruth Barnett who was living in Germany with her family when Hitler came into power and was transported to England on the Kinder-transport!

Marguerite Columbe was almost nineteen when the war started and we talked to her Granddaughter Chloe Tartinville about the fall of France under German Occupation.

In this book we learn too of first hand accounts of children evacuated before and during the war. We learn too of what wartime was like for the Children who were unable to be evacuated!

We learn to of those who were involved in the Resistance.

World War Two would also be one of the first wars we saw women at war, women like Jean Barker Baroness Trumpington who was a conservative member of Britain's House of Lord's. She tells a young girl Gemma Carolan about her experiences with the Naval Intelligences at Bletchley Park. We learn to of Molly Rose who flew for the Airport Transport Auxiliary during the war, delivering and collecting aircraft.

We learn of Judith Kerr author of When Hitler Stole My Pink Rabbit who was born in Berlin and who fled Germany when Hitler came into power because her Father was a vocal critic of Hitler and the Nazi's.


I give Voices of the Second World War five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

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