Across a War-Tossed Sea

by L. M. Elliott

Overview

It's 1943, and World War II is raging. To escape the terror of the Blitz, ten-year-old Wesley and fourteen-year-old Charles were evacuated from England to America. After a few near misses with German U-boats and a treacherous ocean crossing, the brothers arrived in Virginia. The culture shock is intense as the London boys adjust to rural farm life and have to learn new sports, customs, and spellings, plus contend with racial segregation and bullying. As time goes by, the brothers begin to adapt to their new reality and blaze their own trails, writing letters home, making new friends, and pitching in to the American war effort. But just when Wes and Charles think they are safe from the terror of the battles raging thousands of miles across the sea, they encounter the very brand of soldiers they were trying to escape: Nazis, from a POW camp right around the corner and U-boats torpedoing American ships off the nearby Atlantic coastline. Suddenly, Charles, Wesley, and their new Virginian family must face the dangers of a foreign war coming too close to home. Award-winning author L. M. Elliott brings a rarely told story of World War II on U.S. soil to light in this gripping and meticulously-researched novel, a companion to the beloved Under a War-Torn Sky.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423193944
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/08/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

L. M. Elliott was an award-winning magazine journalist in Washington, DC, before becoming a New York Times bestselling author of historical and biographical young adult novels. Her works include Under a War-Torn Sky, Suspect Red, Hamilton and Peggy!, Walls, and Bea and the New Deal Horse, have won the Scott O'Dell, the VLA Cardinal Cup, and the Grateful American Book Prize for historical fiction, and been named NCSS/CBC Notables, Bank Street College of Ed. Bests, and Kirkus Bests. Visit her online at lmelliott.com.

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2014
Gr 5–8—Ten-year-old Wesley and fourteen-year-old Charles Bishop evacuate London during the Blitz, trading bombs bursting in air for the perils of fitting in at a new school in rural Virginia. While Charles makes friends easily, Wesley struggles to find a place in their foster family, the Ratcliffs. It isn't until he meets Freddy, an African American boy living with his grandparents while his father builds ships for the war effort, that the true plot really takes off. Elliott uses the backdrop of World War II and the horrors of Hitler's plans to illuminate an entirely different picture of the racial divide in the United States. At every turn in this well-plotted novel, readers see an example of prejudice and preconceptions coming from white American characters. The author's attention to detail is evident, as the facts of World War II come through clearly in each chapter, just as they did in Under a War Torn Sky (Hyperion, 2001). This historical novel would be a perfect fit for any collection seeking to engage readers in conversations around race, culture, and equality in America.—Pete Smith, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts CPS, South Hadley, MA

School Library Journal

"Likable protagonists and a fascinating historical backdrop combine for a story well-told."— Kirkus Reviews

"Serious issues of intolerance (religious freedom in Europe, racism in America, cruelty to German POWs) permeate the story without overwhelming it, making this a breezy and enlightening read. The occasional letters from the brothers to their father overseas are a nice touch, portraying an accurate kid's-eye-view of a terrible time in history."— Booklist

"This historical novel would be a perfect fit for any collection seeking to engage readers in conversations around race, culture, and equality in America."— School Library Journal

"Useful for a discussion on what life was like for the civilian population and especially the effect of war on young children and teens. . . ."— VOYA

PRAISE FOR UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY

Accolades
Notable Book in Social Studies for Young People (NCSS/CBC), 2002
Jefferson Cup Honor Book, 2002
Winner, Borders' Original Voices Award for Young Adult Literature, 2001
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002, Bank Street College of Education, CBC
Maryland Black-eyed Susan Award, finalist, 2004-5
Iowa Teen Award, finalist, 2003-4
Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice, finalist, 2002-3
South Carolina Jr. Book Award, finalist, 2003-4
Books About Trauma, Tragedy and Loss, 2002, CBC

PRAISE FOR UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY

"An emotional, action-packed gem! Elliott paints a picture of war that we don't often see, one that is away from the battles, showing life and death in a war-ravaged land. She illustrates through her well-planned story lines how one can prevail through the most adverse of conditions, bringing up many ethical and moral questions. . . . An engrossing thrill-ride."— KLIATT

PRAISE FOR UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY

"A powerful debut novel of adventure and salvation. Readers, young and old, will be moved by this fine book."— Children's Literature

PRAISE FOR UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY

"Henry Forester, a young B-24 flier, is a complex mix of insecurities, unresolved feelings about his punitive father, and heroic aspiration. On his fifteenth mission, he is shot down, having no idea where he has landed. His journey back through Nazi occupied Europe and his involvement with the French Resistance are depicted with chilling realism. Small details (bike wheels in France were made of wood because the Germans had confiscated all the rubber) add both credibility and appeal to this gripping adventure. ...It's packed with action, intrigue, and suspense, but this novel celebrates acts of kindness and heroism without glorifying war."— Booklist

PRAISE FOR UNDER A WAR-TORN SKY

"Elliott's fluid style is woven together with vivid historical details from WWII, appropriate for adolescents who seek suspense-filled adventures. Inspired by true stories of WWII, Elliott captures the courage, self-sacrifice, and bravery of the French Resistance forces. Fans of history, culture, language, or just good storytelling will definitely want to read this."— BookPage

From the Publisher

2014-01-29
In the companion to Under A War-Torn Sky (2003), 14-year-old Charles and his 10-year-old brother, Wesley, feel stranded in the United States after having fled the London Blitz. The Ratcliff farm in Virginia is a far cry from London, but the Bishop boys are safe from nightly bombs and have survived an ocean crossing fraught with the danger of lurking Nazi submarines. Charles is making the best of his new life with school, girls and football, but Wesley is wretched. He's homesick, nightmares of firebombs disturb his sleep, and he's being picked on by Ron, the Ratcliffs' middle son. The theme of outsiders fitting in grows complicated as Wesley befriends an African-American boy and learns the ways of segregation in Virginia at the time. His image of cowboys and Indians doesn't hold up when he meets Paul Johns, who is Chickahominy and lives in a regular house, not a tepee. And the German prisoners of war working the Ratcliff farm, Wesley and Charles learn, can't be lumped together as evil Nazis; some aren't even Nazis. An extensive afterword fills in the historical context, though no bibliography is included. Likable protagonists and a fascinating historical backdrop combine for a story well-told. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews