Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a look at war from another angle.Jaime and her big brother TJ worship their father, a US Army Colonel. The family is stationed in Texas, where each afternoon Jaime and TJ wage major battles with their little green Army men. They live and breathe the Army.
When TJ gets out of high school he enlists in the Army, following his father's footsteps, and volunteers to go to Vietnam with the Medical Corp. His father is not happy about his decision. The Colonel wants TJ to attend medical school first.
When Jaime receives a roll of film from TJ, she is disappointed that it is not a letter. A soldier at the rec center teaches her to develop the film. Every couple of weeks a new roll of film arrives and Jaime starts to get a more realistic picture of war.
Told on a level that can be appreciated by children and adults alike, Dowell has captured the wonder and horror of the war in Vietnam. This is an important book that would be great for young readers in today's world.
Dowell, Frances O'Roark. (2008). Shooting the Moon. New York: Atheneum Books.
No comments:
Post a Comment