This book was quite forgettable. Having read many World War II middle grade books, I finished this one feeling like it was just one to add to the pile. If you have those students who just can't get enough World War II books, point them this way and they will be satisfied, But as far as unique or bringing anything new to the genre, this one falls short.

Since it wasn't the audiobook reader, but rather a Siri-esque voice, I can't/shouldn't fully comment on the quality of the audiobook, so I'll stick to the story itself.

I really enjoyed this one. Don't be fooled by the very long reading span. I struggled with the robotic audio and got distracted by other books, but this one was well worth reading. I did not know all of the WWII facts that arose in this book. It was a fun learning experience and hearing the story from the perspective of a young girl whose mother is suffering from depression and whose father and brother end up heavily tangled in the effects of the war (off the coast of the U.S. specifically) seemed like an effective way to tell the story. I hadn't heard a story like this about this era of history from quite this perspective before. The closest I can think of is Molly's American Girl story, but this was even more well fleshed out and complex than that series. It is also perfectly acceptable for Middle Grade readers. That is truly the audience and I wouldn't hesitate to hand it to someone of that age.

This was an advance copy of an audiobook and does not reflect the final copy. I will say that the synthesized voice was hilarious to listen to when the bombs were going off and when Louisa was shouting her mothers name (imagine a very monotone ka-boom, ka-boom, ka-boom or MAMA with no emphasis at all).

Louisa is kind, hard working, and attune to the needs of those around her (mama included). Cousin Belle is eccentric, amazing, and empowering.

Overall, this was a poignant story about a family affected deeply by war. A great historical fiction read for young readers.

I was very impressed with this book. Not only did it tackle the death of a sibling and dealing with war time struggles, it also discussed depression-before it was named and treated. It does seem very mature at parts for some middle grade readers, but I think it would be excellent as a discussion book for some of the themes of character death and children struggling with family members who have mental health struggles.

A truly great historical fiction book will teach you about real history and make you feel as though you lived it. Elliott's book, Lousia June and the Nazis and the Waves was definitely a book in this category. Taking place on the coast of Virgina in 1942. Louisa June is from a big family headed by her tugboat captain dad. When tradegy strikes involving the real history of the Nazi u-boat attacks in the Atlantic, the family is challenged with mom's depression wounds that aren't easily healed. Wonderfully realistic characters like the Aunt and Louisa's sisters make for a good read.
The narrator sounded like a gps, but I believe this is because the audiobook isn't recorded yet, so it cannot be held against the book at all.

I listened to an audio version of this book supplied by NetGalley. This story differed from the many other WWII historical fiction book I have read in that it covers what was happening on the East Coast of the United States shortly after it became involved in the war. There are very few juvenile books about this subject, let alone references to it in history books or curriculum. That part of the book was the most interesting to me. Also referenced was the way women became a large part of the working world.

This story chronicles the journey of Luisa June, a young girl and how WWII affected her life on the home front. Her fathers tug boat was sunk by Nazi UBoats and her brother was tragically killed. This changed the course@of her whole life. There is also an aspect of mental illness that is felt with in this book. I appreciated the whole book and thought it was well written. Luisa June is a strong female character and I thought her character was well developed. The supporting cast in this story was great too. The authors note at the end of the book really has tons of great information and stories of things I did not know about.

Also fun fact in this book we see that children were used as plane spotters in America during WWII. My husband’s grandmother was actually a plane spotter when she was a child! This shows you that children are such an import part to our society! Books like this hopefully will empower the children of our generation to do big things!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsch and @l_m_elliott for this review copy. I did listen on audiobook, but it was a synthetic voice so I cannot give an accurate account of the audiobook narrator.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott was a great middle grade historical fiction. I learned so much about the German U-Boat attacks on the east coast during the war that I never knew before.

The book revolves around young, Louisa June and her family. As the war inches closer to home her tugboat captain father and her three older siblings each try to find a way to help the country. Meanwhile, their mother suffers from "melancholia" which is exasperated when tragedy strikes the family.

Louisa is trying to deal with her own grief, find her own way to help and try to hold her family together.

I thought the author's note at the end made the book even better with the comparisons between the book and real life events. Also the note about the "melancholia" and depression in those years.

This book taught me so much! The character building was so specific, I felt like I knew them all personally by the end. I was inspired by the bravery, cried over the loss and felt my heart sore with the hope and healing throughout the story. I felt like L.M. Elliot did an excellent job telling one of the perhaps forgotten bits of history and I think it's an excellent book for readers of all ages. I plan to read this aloud to my children once I have the physical book in my hands.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this title.

Louisa June is the youngest in her family. Her father and all of her siblings are all involved in the war effort, fighting the Nazis on the homefront. When her brother is killed in a U-boat attack, Louisa's mother sinks even deeper into her melancholy. With the help of her spitfire older cousin Belle and her best friend Emmett, Louisa seeks to avenge her brother's death and pull her mother out of the depths of depression. While this wasn't my favorite middle-grade WWII book, it has its merits. I loved the fierceness of Louisa June and Cousin Belle as well as the mental health representation found in Louisa's mother.

This is a fresh, age-appropriate, and exciting take on WW2 coming of age stories. Instead of covering the vast subject of WW2, the story focuses on one family on the East Coast of the US through the eyes of young Louisa June. Louisa June wants to support the war effort, worries about her mother's depression, and grieves the death of an older brother. The book handles these subjects with gravity, and a gentle, age-appripriate touch.

II will order the book and the audiobook. I was not a fan of the cryptic narrator. I couldn't listen for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look into this book in exchange for an honest review.

Middle grade students in my schools love WWII books.
They gravitate to books that give insight into specific aspects of it.
L. M. Elliott gives us a poignant look at a family and a community in the United States during that time of crisis.
Louisa June made me feel like we could all have helped...old, young...everyone can contribute to the effort.
(The glimpse into the life of someone with anxiety was timely, as well.)

I'd love to hear the voice you choose for the audiobook.. The computer generated voice was interesting at times.

I didn’t realize this advanced reader’s audio copy was narrated with a synthetic voice. The final audio will have a true narrator. I had a really hard time keeping focus on the story with the synthetic voice. I will be careful to not request an audio with a synthetic narrator in the future. I will want to reread or listen when the book is published.
I think the book with real voice narration will offer a five star review.

The story is set on the U.S. homefront during World War II, about a family reeling from loss and a seemingly lifetime of fighting for what matters.

Days after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Hitler declared war on the U.S., unleashing U-boat submarines to attack American ships. Suddenly, the days outside Louisa June’s farm aren’t for eel-fishing or enjoying the movements of the wild swans or learning to navigate her family’s boat. No it was a dangerous time where life was riddled with hidden enemies.

Her oldest brothers’ ships risk coming face-to-face with U-boats. Her sister leaves home to work as a welder on Liberty Boat hulls. Her daddy, a tugboat captain, and her dearest brother, Butler, are soon caught in the crossfire.

Her mama is not a strong woman and really needs Louisa June to find ways to buoy her spirits. She shares with her mama, sunshine-yellow daffodils, good books, or news accounts of daring rescues of torpedoed passengers.

Louisa June is a strong female who while helping her Mama is also aching to combat Nazis, She turns to her quirky friend Emmett and the indomitable Cousin Belle, where Louisa June learns the greatest thing to buoy life is love

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio-ARC of Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott.
Louisa is a preteen who is pulled into the war due to her father's job as a tugboat driver along the Atlantic coast. The book shares experiences of a little-known part of WW2. Growing up in Maryland, I wasn't aware of the u-boats attacking American merchant ships close to shore. L.M. Elliott brings this part of history to life through the eyes of Louisa.

This book is about the youngest child, Louisa June, and her family during the early days of World War II for the United States, depicting a family on the Home Front. Louisa June desires to do more to help win the war, like her sister who works on the hulls of Liberty boats. German U-boats attack near the eastern shores where her family lives. Her father and brother are fired upon while fishing. Her mother suffers from depression at times. Louisa June finds help from her Cousin Belle and has a friend in her neighbor Emmett as she navigates through her desires and the sufferings that come with life.


It was enlightening to read a WWII book from the Home Front viewpoint and see how the dangers of war even came to the shores of the United States while we often think of it only being on other more distant continents. Depression of family members is often experienced by students today, and I would think it would be helpful to see a character in the story deal with this problem.


The narrator related the story well. I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to, read, and review this upper elementary/middle grade novel.

Louisa June has spent most of her life being extremely careful not to do anything upsetting that might send her mother into another fit of malaise. When the Nazis start attacking ships off the Virginia shore, it looks like Mama might end up in bed or worse if LJ can't think of a way to cheer her up. As Louisa struggles with her own grief and anxiety, she decides to aid the war effort in any way she can, hoping to find a way to save her mother as well as her country.

This book was a little bit slow to get started. Louisa is really a sweet girl, but she doesn't stand out as a character, which makes the plot feel just a bit meandering up until the point when we realize her goal is to help Mama's depression. I really liked the way that mental health was treated in this book, and Cousin Bella was a true gem of a character. I learned a lot from this book and I hope I can trust that it was historically accurate, as I'm definitely bringing up a few choice facts for my next trivia night.

I am so glad this book exists. In my job as a middle school librarian, I get so many requests for historical fiction books, and a large number of those requests are for books set during World War II. This one fits those requirements and has a strong female voice for the main character! Win-win! Louisa June lives on a farm with her large family. Her father and several siblings work on tugboats. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Hitler unleashed U-boat submarines to attack American ships. Suddenly, Louisa finds her family caught in the crossfire.
I loved this book for so many reasons. One reason is that I learned about a new topic I didn’t know a lot about. I didn’t know the stories behind U-boats attacking American ships on our coastline. The author offers such a fantastic author’s note with historical context and how they played into her book. She even gives places to go to learn more about this topic. I also found the characters to be so admirable in their bravery. All characters find their own way to be brave in this book. Kids will love and even be able to connect with Louisa wanting to help out her community despite her age and then finding ways to do that. Cousin Belle is also a formidable character that I can’t wait for kids to meet and learn from!
The author’s description and discussion of depression and grief are also beautiful and very appropriate for the audience. Cousin Belle’s belief that books can feed and heal someone when they are in pain struck such a chord with me. She hands books out like medicine for the soul, and I loved that! This book has action, heart, healing and hope. I will buy it for my library, and I have a feeling it won’t stay on the shelf. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC audio copy.