Soldier Boys

Parallel stories of two boys, one German, one American whose paths cross at the Battle of the Bulge. It portrays the soldier's life: the patriotism, bravado, confusion, discomfort, and fear. Despite the, at times, pedestrian writing, the message packs an emotional wallop.

A Nazi soldier's perspective juxtaposed to an American Mormon soldier's point of view, and of course, they come together in battle. I'm definitely recommending this novel to my middle school students, especially my boys who are really interested in WWII, and I think it's an excellent choice for any young adult. There was way more "war talk" in it than Code Talker or even My Brother Sam is Dead, which is a bonus for my students but a bit of a drawback for me. Seeing the war through an indoctrinated Nazi youth's eyes can certainly change one's view of the enemy.

I did cry a bit (embarrassingly enough), and I felt I was actually learning something. Is it true that Hitler Youth and many soldiers on the front lines really believed that they show more were on the DEFENSE? Did they really not know the details about the Final Solution? These are the questions I have after reading this. I'm not that knowledgeable about WWII--just the Holocaust part of it. show less

OK short novel about two boys, one German and one American and how they meet up together at the very end. The story follows each alternately : farm boy from Brigham City, Utah and a German boy who was active in the Hitler youth. Good for comparisons about how it's always the young boys who pay the price in wars. This would be a good one for modern kids to learn something about WW II and about tragedy of war in general.

I liked the book, mostly because it's a genre I enjoy. It was interesting having a perspective from both sides, although it seemed more focused on one, more than the other. I also felt the ending was rushed, and lacked closure.

This book was very emotional and it made me cry. I fell in love with both boys and their inner struggles.

Great book! Very slow beginning but when you get to the climax you dont want to stop. I like how the book is in the eyes from an american soldier and a nazi soldier.

I was somewhat surprised. I really could not get into this book. I usually absorb books for this grade-level, especially if they are based on war. But this just really did not hold my interest. I could not stand Spence or his family, and it would have been nicer to see more of Dieter (it felt like Spence got most of the spotlight). After the first half of the book, it really picked up quite a bit. If you can get passed how boring the first half is, you should enjoy the rest of the book.
Granted, part of my disappointment probably lies with the editor. I was too busy getting fumed over glaring typos and mechanical errors to really throw myself into the book...who the heck throws a hyphen between a verb and "ing"? E.G. walk-ing, pack-ing, show more etc. I noticed three of those on one page. Thankfully the editor straightened up by the end of the book.
Honestly, if you are interested in stuff like this, but want something a bit more...decent, I suggest The Wave by Tod Strasser or something from the My Name is America series. You get a great deal more character depth in the case of My Name is America, and you get a fairly decent understanding of mob mentality and Naziesque peer pressure in The Wave. show less