John Wilson

Must admit that I bought a number of John Wilson titles without reading them, since I was so desperate to provide the students who will only read war books with reading material. I finally got to And in the Morning last night, and was very pleased.

Jim's father dies early on in World War I, his mother succumbs to mental illness, and he enlists in the army at the age of 15. At first, he is full of the thrill of adventure and danger, but as the war continues and he spends years in the trenches, he hopes merely to make it back home to his young wife. Well-researched and told through engaging diary entries and letters, this is especially effective because it does address the fact that young men find war exciting, and then explains why the reality of this is so different.

There are several other titles by this author: Battle Scars and Flags of War (Civil War), Flames of a Tiger and Four Steps to Death (WWII). There are other titles that I don't own (check the Wilson link above), but I will certainly be checking these other titles for purchase. If you have boys who are interested in war books, these are just right.