Off to War

by Deborah Ellis

Overview

Society of School Librarians International Honor Book

Deborah Ellis has been widely praised for her gripping books portraying the plight of children in war-torn countries. Now she turns her attention closer to home, to the children whose parents are soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In frank and revealing interviews, they talk about how this experience has marked and shaped their lives.The children, who range in age from 7 to 17, come from all over North America. They were interviewed on military bases, in the streets, in their homes and over the phone. The strength of Off to War is that the children are left to speak for themselves, with little editorial interference beyond a brief introduction.

Includes a glossary, a list of organizations and websites and suggestions for further reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780888998958
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	08/05/2008
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	830L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General’s Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

...tough, thought-provoking inquiries on subjects ranging from the way the household functions during parental absence, to the way the family adjusts to a soldier's return...Touching and insightful, these voices will appeal to a broad range of readers.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Ellis tells everything without sensationalism...The personal voices are unforgettable.

Booklist

Readers will empathize with these children whose lives have been upended by circumstances beyond their control.

Horn Book

...the voices of these children remind us that when we send an Army off to war, we are sending human beings with families and friends...Ellis offers reader a fascinating, and sometimes searing glimpse into these children's lives as she briefly introduces them and allows them to tell their stories in their own words...compulsively readable.

Scripps Howard News Service

Powerful and eloquent, Ellis' subjects are sad, scared, funny, angry and loving - just like all kids, but maybe more deeply...Kids with deployed parents will certainly find comfort in the similar feelings and voices of other kids going through the same.

Copley News Service

Ellis...comes home to share stories that remind us that the human cost of war is borne not just by those who fight, but by their families...a rare and deeply affecting glimpse into the lives of children whose voices are seldom heard...a powerful and eloquent statement about the families of the men and women who fight for our country, and the burden they bear

PR Newswire

Gr 4-8

War is hell, and not just for the soldiers who go off to fight it. In interviews with approximately 40 children, all of whom have at least one parent who is serving, or has served, in Iraq or Afghanistan, Ellis shows just how hard it is on the family members left behind. Ranging in age from 6 to 17, young people from Canada and the United States talk about the things that are on their minds. Worry about their parents' safety, pride in their service to their country, and confusion about why such service is necessary are all intermingled with the everyday concerns of friends, school, and "just getting on with life." Common themes run throughout; many of those interviewed mention how important it is to maintain a normal life and to find people they trust to talk to, and how hard it is when they are not around other families who are experiencing the same issues. Accessible and utterly readable, this book offers a glimpse into current home-front life, and is a primary source of what it means to have a family member serving in a war. While students may find some of the reading repetitive, the book is an excellent resource for opening discussions about the current events.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

With 13,500 Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and one million American military personnel in Iraq, millions of children on the home front and in the war zones have been affected. As Ellis says, "In any war, it is always the children who are the biggest losers-children whose voices are rarely heard." In an oral history reminiscent of Studs Terkel's superb volumes, Ellis gives voice to the children of Canadian and American soldiers. Each interview is prefaced by information on the war, army bases and the children themselves. Though the children's voices often sound similar, and many repeat the same sentiments-sadness when a parent goes away, the poignancy when children realize they have gotten used to a parent's absence and the difficult readjustment when parents return-it is their accumulation that makes an impact. Later interviews reflect a divergence of opinion-one 11-year-old girl states that the "war was just for oil, and for money-grubbing Americans." Ellis continues to be an important voice of moral and social conscience, and this volume will be followed, in January 2009, by Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees. (glossary, further information) (Nonfiction. 9 & up)

Kirkus Reviews