A great book to learn about the history of WWI and the loss of life that was so frequent. Overall, it is a really great book for someone looking to learn about what it was like in World War One. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not. ( )

I'm not a history buff so bringing history back its human dimension is the only for me to pay attention. This series of books from World War I to World War II is masterful in this respect. Through the eyes of Billy we see the hardship of war: not only for families and friends, for the daily exposure to death by shrapnel, mustard gas and mud, but also for the dissension between soldiers and officers, for the uncertainties and distrust. All of this is depicted simply and clearly without exaggerated emotions but without sugar-coating, either.
All around a poignant and balanced account of the war from the trenches. ( )

Billy signs up for the First World War at 16, lying about his age. He is soon recruited into the communications unit because he worked as a telegraph operator before the war. This involves him moving in after the soldiers have taken a trench and setting up wires and communication lines to the generals directing the front. At first, it is all new and exciting but as the war drags on, and Billy sees his friends hurt and killed, he soon learns to truly appreciate the horrors of war.
Told in Diary form. Part of the My Story series by Scholastic.