  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/15/2013 Lynch received high marks for his Vietnam series; Casualties of War (2013) is the most recent installment. He returns to the theme of young U.S. soldiers with a new series about WWII, setting a high mark for both historical fiction and rich, accessible storytelling. While playing in the Eastern Shore Baseball league, Roman is waiting impatiently for the U.S. to enter the war against the Nazis, and for his chance to see military action. The story keeps a quick, steady pace, following him through enlistment and training to the thick of real battle as a tank driver in Algeria. Meanwhile, Roman, who has a refined sense of political awareness, deals with a compelling love interest as well as suffering the emotional wounds of battle. Lynch manages to cultivate a story full of vivid historical realities from Roman’s first-person perspective, including period slang and customs, demonstrating that fiction can serve as a lens to history without resorting to dusty, dated facts. Pair with Stephen G. Hyslop and Neil Kagan’s Eyewitness to World War II (2012) for a nonfiction perspective. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 02/01/2014 Roman Bucyk, in a steady slide down the batting order in his minor league team, knows there’s no future for him in pro ball, but his determination to keep the world safe for baseball will make him an excellent soldier as soon as America gets into the fight against the Nazis. Not waiting while Uncle Sam drags his heels, Roman proposes to his girlfriend (she accepts) and enlists to get a jump on training, and by the time the smoke clears at Pearl Harbor, he’s ready to run his tank right over the Fuehrer himself. The Army has other plans for him, though, and he finds himself in North Africa, trying to figure out why the subjugated French are fighting for the Nazis, how to dodge strafing attacks by the Luftwaffe, and how to outmaneuver Rommel’s panzers. The first volume in Lynch’s new World War II series seems likely to follow the pattern of his recent Vietnam books, focusing on the experiences of one soldier per entry. Veterans of the Vietnam series (Sharpshooter, BCCB 5/12, etc.) will recognize the Bucyk surname and realize that Roman is Ivan’s father and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. The rest of the featured cast is less clear, although the possibility of following Roman’s fiancée, Hannah, through her enlistment with the WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) is tantalizing. If Volume One is any indication, Lynch has another success in the pipeline. EB - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 02/01/2014 Gr 8 Up—Lynch ("Vietnam" series, Scholastic) begins a new war series, this time set during World War II. Professional baseball player Roman Bucyk realizes that U.S. involvement in the current European war is imminent and decides to enlist. Roman is sent to the African front, first to Algeria and then to Tunisia, where his mediocre baseball talent takes a backseat to his earnest enthusiasm for fighting against the Nazi regime. An often overlooked portion of the war effort, the Allied battle with the German Afrika Korps is well delivered through a first-person narrative and a series of letters to Hannah, his fiancé. The letters also illustrate how the women at home, like Hannah, did their duty by serving in the Women's Army Corps and other military organizations. Roman's youthful optimism, bravado, and fear allow readers to experience a firsthand look into a soldier's life, from long days waiting for orders to the perilous battle arena. Perhaps most affecting is the portrayal of friendships with Roman's military unit, which help highlight the lifelong bonds fellow soldiers formed during and after this war.—Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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