Gratz doesn't shy away from depicting the bloody realities of war. The book's message is strongly anti-war, with a plea for finding the humanity in others. It's set in World War II during the American invasion of Okinawa, a months-long battle. Parents need to know that Grenade is by best-selling author Alan Gratz ( Refugee), who excels at writing harrowing, page-turning historical fiction for kids.

An extensive Author’s Note gives an overview of Operation Overlord as well as the six smaller operations portrayed in the story.Hideki finds cigarettes in a fallen soldier's backpack and gives them to other soldiers.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. While written for middle-grade readers, the brutal frankness makes this a suitable read for older readers as well. Each of the characters are young, which is not only historically accurate, but also makes it easier for young readers to relate. Gratz does not shy away from the horrors of war-whether it be the violence of the battlefield or the ugliness of racism, antisemitism, and sexism from supposed allies. The diverse characters not only represent different nations and ethnicities, but differing reasons to be at war beyond ridding the world of Nazism. The story mostly follows Dee, but the others play integral roles in the mission. There are others who carry their own burdens: Samira, an Algerian girl with the French Resistance, must save her mother from the Nazis Canadian paratrooper James drops from a plane into a bullet-ridden night sky, asking What am I doing here? Bill, the British tank operator who wants to make it as far as Amiens to see the rock where his father carved his name when he was there during WWI and the medic James, who scours the beach under constant enemy fire searching for wounded soldiers, some of whom do not want his help.Īllies takes place over the course of twenty-four hours-from midnight Jto midnight on June 7. He carries a burden of responsibility unknown to his brothers-in-arms-even his best friend, Sid.

Sixteen-year-old Dee Carpenter lands on Omaha Beach in the chaos of the first landings in Normandy and is immediately confronted with the violence and terror of war.

Allies summary alan gratz