Eddie's War

Eddie’s War by Carol Fisher Saller
Lately it seems I am reading a lot of books about World War II. Maybe it is because I teach literature that deals with it. The first thing I like was that this book was written in verse. This story covers ten years. Eddie is a young boy who befriends Jozef Mirga, a Polish Gypsy. He reads the newspaper at the local library looking for information about the Nazis and Poland. This is where Jozef’s wife and son are. When Eddie’s brother goes off to war he is very proud of him. The story is full of life lessons Eddie learns as he grows up. I highly recommend this book. It has quickly become one of my favorites of the year.

This will be a good recommendation for the reluctant reader who must read an historical novel. Good storytelling, good characters. It is a quick read but has depth. Well done.

The years leading up to and during World War II as seen through the eyes of a boy living in rural Illinois. Vivid and insightful historical fiction but not particularly engrossing.