Warriors in the Crossfire by Nancy Bo Flood

Publisher:  Boyds Mills Press

Pages:  142

Source:  Library

Genre:  Middle Grade Historical Fiction

What happens when war breaks out and you find yourself and  your country caught in the middle between two warring nations?  This book is based on actual historical events.  The characters are made up.  The setting was unfamiliar to me which is great.  It meant research to learn more about the island of Saipan.  Joseph lives on this island which has fallen under Japanese control  The Japanese encroach on these native people believing many of them are spies for the Americans.  Joseph is instructed by his father to hide the people in a cave so that they may survive.  A tough decision but one he follows.  No child should have to witness the atrocities of war like Joseph has, yet we know that children present and past live this life all the time.  This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.  It is also a book that I will recommend to our history teachers.


(The opinions expressed here are mine and not of the Cybils panelists)