Suzanne Costner (comment #20), you are the final winner in our month of book giveaways! Thank you to everyone who entered our contest. We hope you’ll keep reading and commenting for another great year at Books in Bloom. 
Happy spring!
Archive for March, 2013
Week 4 Winner!
Picture Books in the Classroom
Picture books are great for enhancing literacy in the elementary grades. They can be read aloud to a group, shared with an individual child, and paged through by the students themselves, taking in everything the pictures add to the text. These new picture books offer up another layer of opportunity: the content of each serves as a starting point for a lesson or unit on a particular area of study in the classroom.
Social Studies
In The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery by Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez, we learn about John Price, a runaway slave who ended up in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1856. Oberlin was a final stop along the Underground Railroad and was a community of people who felt strongly that slavery was wrong. Opponents of the Fugitive Slave Act, the townspeople rallied to free John Price after he was captured by a slave hunter, risking their lives to pull off a harrowing rescue. John Price vanished from town a few days later, perhaps crossing the border into Canada, but the townspeople who participated in the rescue were jailed for three months. Their determination and spirit would clash with those who wanted to perpetuate slavery, contributing to the hostile sentiments that led to the Civil War. (9780802721662. Gr. 2-4.)
You could use this book as a starting point for teaching about this historic time period, or you could use it in a discussion about injustice and about fighting for what you believe in. Ask students to think about something that is unfair or not right—their concerns could range from school bullies, polluted water, abandoned pets, and homelessness to global news stories about war and poverty. Help them to research issues they are concerned about and to explore ways in which they can make a difference. For ideas, try The Kid’s Guide to Service Projects or The Kid’s Guide to Social Action by Barbara A. Lewis or Cleaning Up the Earth by Precious McKenzie.
Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution by Don Brown tells the story of Henry Knox, an obscure bookseller who was determined to transport much-needed cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to General Washington’s troops outside Boston. After a grueling 50-day winter journey over 300 miles of rough terrain and ice-covered rivers and lakes, Knox and his men delivered 59 cannons to the revolutionary army. Quietly, Americans assembled a formidable looking fortress on a hill overlooking Boston, ultimately scaring the British into retreating. (9781596432666. Gr. 1-3.)
Determination works wonders, and underdogs often succeed by shooting for the moon and then going for it. Have students write down a goal they each have for the next week or month at school. It could be “reading my first chapter book,” “writing and illustrating my very own story,” “running a whole lap on the track,” or anything that a student would have to work hard to achieve. Challenge students to choose goals that are meaningful to them.
The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, is the story of an Italian immigrant as he relates it to his great-granddaughter. His matchbox diary is a lovely old cigar box filled with small matchboxes, each of which holds a small object that has its own tale. From an olive pit and a macaroni noodle to a fish bone and typesetting letters, the objects come alive as the elderly book-and-antique dealer tells the small girl how he acquired and saved them. (9780763646011. Gr. 1-4.)
This unique way of keeping a diary is a great one for young children. Ask students to think about a small object that reminds them of a recent event—a ticket stub, a bead, a birthday candle, perhaps. Ask them to use their imaginations! Have students bring in their objects in small boxes and over the course of a few days (a few students per day), ask them to share their objects and tell the stories behind them. Encourage interested students to use their objects as a starting point for their own “matchbox diaries.”
Science
Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin, is a richly illustrated informational text about frogs from around the world. Fun fonts complement the beautiful paintings, highlighting frog noises such as “sloop-slooop,” “fwish,” and “chirp-chweet!” Interesting information that students will enjoy, especially about frog eggs, tadpoles, and babies, is offered in perfect amounts on each spread. The book ends with a field guide of the frogs, an environmental page titled “Frogs in Trouble,” a bibliography, and a list of websites. (9780805092547. Gr. PS-2.)
Help students explore some of the websites listed in the back of the book. Several of them have audio clips you can play for students to hear the frog sounds described in the book and others as well. You may also have students draw a picture of a frog (you could supply the outline from a website like Frog Life Cycle). You could also have them record a sound to go with their frog.
Math
Millions, Billions, and Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers by David A. Adler, illustrated by Edward Miller is a fun look at what exactly these long strings of digits actually mean. Fun illustrations show concrete examples like the number of granules in a quarter cup of sugar or the amount of time it would take to count to a million. (9780823424030. Gr. 2-4.)
Play estimating and counting games with students. You can use a jar of jelly beans, a bowl of paper clips, a baggie full of Cheerios, a stack of books, a ten-by-ten square-foot area of dandelions, and whatever else you can come up with. First ask students to write down an estimate of how many objects there are, and then have them team up to count. Come back together as a class and discuss the activity. How well did they estimate the number of objects with each of the items? What strategies did they use to estimate? What strategies did they use to count (by tens, for example)?
Picture books often do more than tell a story. Have fun using them to teach, as well!
Blogger: Lori C. 
Book Review: How to Lead a Life of Crime
How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller. February 2013. 9781595145185. Gr. 9-12.
I am not a criminal. Far from it. Sure, I have a couple of speeding tickets on my record, and once was cited for having a dirty license plate (can you believe that? I did appeal that one, and it was dismissed. Thanks, State of Minnesota! Keep your license plates clean, people). But, for the most part, I walk the straight and narrow. The great thing about books is that you get to be exposed to experiences outside of your normal life. This is why a book like How to Lead a Life of Crime appeals to me; it is a gritty, dark, and sometimes gruesome story that is wholly unlike my life. Do you want to experience the seedy underbelly of society without running the risk of incarceration? This book is for you.
Flick comes from a rich and privileged family, but is living on the mean streets as a thief, stealing what he needs to get by. Ties to his family were severed when his abusive, alcoholic father beat Flick’s brother to death and Flick’s mom committed suicide. You quickly see that life has been grim for Flick, and he understandably holds his father in great contempt. Flick wants nothing more than to avenge his brother’s death by getting back at his father. Flick’s remaining bit of humanity is preserved by Joi, who he visits regularly at her shelter, which welcomes kids from across the city that have had difficulties of their own. Joi is a kind-hearted person who Flick is obviously attracted to, but wary of letting get too close.
Flick is soon propositioned by a mysterious man who wants him to steal some documents from a house. When the man is satisfied that Flick is skilled enough, he offers him to study at the prestigious Mandel Academy. Flick soon finds out that the mysterious man is Lucian Mandel, who runs the academy, and who also holds the key to exacting revenge against Flick’s father. So, Flick agrees to become a student at the school. It turns out that the academy’s reputation for academic excellence is a front for something far less traditionally academic—students are taught how to get ahead by using criminal tactics. At the Mandel Academy, courses such as “Partnering with Corrupt Regimes” and “Hand to Hand Combat” are on the schedule, and students battle for positioning in the school’s hierarchy, where there are great rewards at the top, and great consequences at the bottom.
Flick excels in the Academy, but is shaken and surprised when a new recruit shows up, and makes his “education” much more personal. He has trouble focusing on his ultimate goal of getting revenge on his father, and begins focusing on taking down the corrupt school, all the while being guided by the spirit of his dead younger brother.
Kirsten Miller has come up with a great concept here; at one point, Flick describes the Mandel Academy as “Hogwarts for Hustlers” and this combines with a Hunger Games-like survival theme to make a unique read. I loved the concept of the students battling for criminal supremacy. Despite its darkness, there are some surprising moral themes that can be gleaned from the story. One theme I particularly liked was how a character showed that progress could only be made to overthrow the evil school by banding together, and that starts by getting to know the strengths of all students, not just the ones that are high achievers.
How to Lead a Life of Crime is literary escapism at its finest. You can go anywhere with a book, even the darkest corners of society.
Blogger: Ryan H.
Week 3 Winner!
Elsa (comment #40), you are the winner of this week’s prize. Please email us at booksinbloom@mackin.com with your mailing address, so we can send you your prizes.
There is still one more chance to win. Next Friday we will select a winner for books 1-3 in the Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry.
Good luck!
Three Humorous Graphic Novels for Kids
I mostly read realistic teen fiction, and often these books deal with young people in difficult situations. Frankly, sometimes I need a bit of a break from the heavy stuff. Maybe you do too. Here are some humorous graphic novels that have crossed my desk recently that just might be the break you need.
Benjamin Bear in Bright Ideas by Philippe Coudray. March 2013. 9781935179221. Gr. PS-1.
Benjamin Bear has lots of ideas. Unfortunately, they are not always good ideas. Kids will laugh at the antics, but they may also glean some good ideas about cause and effect or creative problem solving in the one-page comics in this book. French artist Phillippe Coudray has created another winner for emerging readers (or anyone with a silly sense of humor) in this series with Bright Ideas.
A
riol: Just a Donkey Like You and Me by Emmanuel Gilbert. February 2013. 9781597073998. Gr. 3-6.
Don’t let the all animal cast in this graphic novel fool you. It is indeed realistic fiction. Ariol and his friends have comical mishaps in chapters that feel like short stories. It is easy to read and highly relatable. It’s a great choice for the in-between kids who are young enough to enjoy Ariol’s wild imagination and old enough to sympathize when Ariol embarrasses himself in front of his crush.
Chickenhare by Chris Grine. February 2013. 9780545485081. Gr 6-8.
Looking for something kind of unusual? Meet Chickenhare. He has just been captured by a trapper who intends to sell his unusual captive to an exotic animal collector. You might be wondering what a chickenhare actually is. Well, it’s half chicken, half rabbit, of course. And he is in quite a situation because this exotic animal collector is actually a twisted taxidermist determined to turn him into home décor. Chickenhare and a few odd friends are determined to escape and that’s where the adventure begins. There is plenty of action along with a mix of horror and humor that will have plenty of appeal to readers who like offbeat adventure/comedies.
Blogger: Mindy R.
Book Review : Mary Roach and Science Nonfiction for High School
Reading nonfiction is a favorite of mine, and I usually read about social studies and science (or grammar). I am glad that the Common Core standards include a stronger focus on reading nonfiction.
One of my favorite nonfiction authors is Mary Roach. Like those of many librarians, my interests can be weird odd quirky, and Mary Roach takes quirky to a whole new level. She asks questions that most people would not have thought of—but if they did, they wouldn’t dare to ask. And not only does she dare to ask, but she finds the right people to ask and actually gets them to answer her. Her writing is accessible to upper high school students and her books would be great choices for Common Core lists.
I was browsing in a bookstore when I found her first book, Stiff : The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and everything about the book drew me in. The cover showing a couple of bare feet with a morgue tag attached to a toe. The great title (though nowadays a book with “lives” and “cadavers” in the title would probably be about zombies). And of course the subject matter: the history of the uses to which cadavers have been put. We’ve heard about grave robbing and midnight autopsies by candlelight, but that’s just the beginning. And though it might sound gruesome and morbid, Roach treated her subjects with respect…and lots of humor. I have recommended this book to more people than any other nonfiction book, and most of those who dared to read the book have become Mary Roach fans.
Roach has also written books on how science has dealt with the afterlife, sex, and space exploration (see my earlier post on Packing for Mars).
Her latest, coming out on April 1st, is called Gulp : Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. Roach chronicles how early doctors and scientists studied the gastrointestinal system of animals and people and what sort of research today’s scientists are doing. Then she describes how everything works, beginning with the role of the nose in tasting the food we put in our mouths and following the path of food to its inevitable conclusion. So yes, there is one chapter devoted to gas and another devoted to the final product. But we also find out things like: why don’t the digestive acids in our stomach digest the stomach itself; what flavors do dogs and cats like the most; can you really eat so much that your stomach bursts; and just what exactly is a fecal transplant and why would you ever want one. As I read, my vocal responses were equally divided between “YUCK!” and guffaws. Though I probably wouldn’t recommend it to the squeamish, most teens and adults interested in biology and zoology would enjoy Gulp.
Bibliography:
Bonk : The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. Recommended for adults.
Gulp : Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. 9780393081572. April 2013. Gr 11-Adult.
Packing for Mars : The Curious Science of Life in the Void. 9780393068474. 2010. Gr 11-Adult.
Spook : Science Tackles the Afterlife. 9780393329124. 2006. Gr 11-Adult.
Stiff : The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. 9780393050936. 2003. Gr 11-Adult.
Blogger : Tracey L.
Week 2 Contest Winners!
I’m excited to announce two winners this week! Each will receive a copy of The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman and an ARC of the upcoming sequel The Cydonian Pyramid.
Without further ado, our winners are magpot (comment #58) and Judy Behling (comment #60). Please email us with your mailing address, so we can send you your prizes.
Thanks to everyone who entered. There are still two more chances to win, so keep checking back on Fridays in March. Next week, one winner will get two books by A.S. King!
Good luck!
Reminder: If you’ve already left a comment on the original contest post, you’re already entered for all the drawings this month. If you haven’t commented yet, you still can. Follow the instructions here.
Women’s History Month Marches Forward
For good reason, March is Women’s History Month. One hundred years ago on March 3, 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists marched in Washington, D.C., underscoring what was called “a national policy of nagging” by those who disapproved of women’s rights. It wasn’t until 1920 that the 19th Amendment became law in the United States, finally allowing women the right to vote. Decades later, the Equal Rights Amendment made its way through the legislature, but it wasn’t ratified by all the states by the 1982 deadline and was never adopted.
More than 50 years before the women’s march on Washington, strong female leaders gathered for the Seneca Falls Convention. The abolitionist movement and the early rumblings of the women’s rights movement in many ways went hand in hand, and strong female voices made their voices heard as the Civil War loomed. During the war itself, a number of determined young women got involved. Here are some of their stories:
Lincoln and Grace: Why Abraham Lincoln Grew a Beard by Steve Metzger, illustrated by Ann Kronheimer, tells the story of Grace Bedell, a young girl whose admiration for Lincoln and disdain for slavery led her to send the soon-to-be-elected president a letter. Lincoln even responded and the two met briefly while he was on his way to Washington for his inauguration! (9780545484329. Gr 2-5.)
One of the ways women contributed to the Civil War effort was in the field of medicine. Louisa May’s Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little Women by 
Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Carlyn Beccia, is the story of Louisa May Alcott’s involvement–first as a part of the Underground Railroad and later as a nurse at the Union Hotel in Washington, D.C. There to witness celebrations in the streets as the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, she was struck by typhoid fever a few weeks later and had to return home, where she went on to write one of the most famous books of all time. (9780802796684. Gr 2-5.)
Elizabeth Blackwell defied those who told her that women couldn’t be doctors. In Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, we learn that Geneva Medical School let the students vote on whether or not to allow her to attend and that the boys, figuring it was a joke, voted yes! She went on to graduate at the top of her class in 1849 as well as to gain the respect of her peers and professors. Elizabeth was a key figure in training women as nurses during the Civil War. (9780805090482. Gr K-3.)
Mary Edwards Walker graduated from medical school in 1855. An outspoken campaigner for women, she was also known for shunning the uncomfortable 
clothing of the era in favor of…pants! Mary Walker Wears the Pants: The True Story of the Doctor, Reformer and Civil War Hero by Cheryl Harness, illustrated by Carlo Molinari, tells her story. A staunch opponent of slavery, Mary was determined to help during the war and volunteered doing whatever she could to help, treating wounded soldiers while repeatedly requesting to join the army as a surgeon. Finally in 1893, her role became official, and she would later earn a medal of honor for her service. (9780807549902. Gr K-3.)
Other new books of note:
Look Up! The Story of the First Woman Astronomer by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raúl Colón. (9781416958192. Gr K-2.)
Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S. D. Nelson. (9781419703553. Gr 2-5.)
Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves & Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Rebecca Guay. (9781580891851. Gr 5-8.)
Women of the Frontier: 16 Tales of Trailblazing Homesteaders, Entrepreneurs, and Rabble-Rousers by Brandon Marie Miller. (9781883052973. Gr 9-12.)
Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II by Cheryl Mullenbach. (9781569768082. Gr 9-12.)
Blogger: Lori C.
The Alex Awards
I try to read broadly, through all levels and genres, but I will say that the majority of books I read are written for adults. However, I do read a good number of Young Adult titles, so I have found the perfect intersection for me… the winners of the Alex Award.
Quoting YALSA’s website, the Alex Awards are given yearly to “to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.” When this year’s winners were announced recently, I was pleased to see that I had read a number of them. Here are my thoughts on these excellent titles:
Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman. 2012. 9781569479773. Gr. 11-Adult.
This book starts out as a cautionary tale, as 15-year-old friends Lynn and Dani begin interacting with people on the internet for the sole purpose of “messing with them”. All the while, because they are normal teenage girls, they pine for love and are looking for that special someone. When Lynn takes it a step further and meets (in real life) someone she has chatted with online, things start to unravel. Her mom, an ER nurse, is having issues of her own, having become a mostly unwitting participant in a drug scheme with her loser boyfriend. These storylines intersect in a thunderous climax, in unexpected ways. Without giving anything away, this one brought to mind a fresh take on Stephen King’s Misery, as love and obsession cause someone to be held against their will. A few words of caution: This title has many adult themes, including a lot of the big three of sex, drugs, and violence. It is a bold choice by the committee for the Alex Award. There certainly is teen appeal here with the themes of online safety, love, and angst, but the maturity level of the reader should be carefully considered.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. 2012. 9780374214913. Gr. 11-Adult.
As mentioned, the intersection of adult and teen books hits me right in my literary sweet spot, and similarly, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a marriage of many of my favorite things. Take an odd independent bookstore, add in technology, a dose of mystery, and some supernatural/magical elements, and you have the recipe for a fun book. Plus, the cover of the hardcover version glows in the dark…how cool is that? Anyway, the story revolves around Clay Jannon, a recently unemployed web designer who takes a job at a local bookstore. He soon learns that this isn’t your typical bookstore, as there aren’t many customers, and those that do come in seem to only be borrowing old obscure books, with the blessing of the owner, the eccentric Mr. Penumbra. Using his natural curiosity, and his talent as a computer guy, Clay begins piecing together what is going on. This is a geeky pleasure right up there with Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One.
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. 2012. 9781419702167. Gr.10-Adult.
As I have blogged here before, I am not usually drawn (pun intended) to graphic novels. However, I again have to admit that I really got into this one. For me, there is something oddly fascinating about the psychology of what shapes someone like Jeffrey Dahmer. This is the true story of someone who was probably as close of a friend as Dahmer had growing up, Derf Backderf (pseudonym of John Backderf), who grew up to be an accomplished artist. We all know what Dahmer grew up to be, and this is the chronicle of the adolescent Dahmer, at the beginning of his spiral into madness. This book is simultaneously creepy, funny, sad, and overall very compelling. Highly recommended.
One Shot At Forever by Chris Ballard. 2012. 9781401324384. Gr. 11-Adult.
This book about an unlikely, rag-tag high school baseball team has drawn inevitable comparisons to the Hollywood basketball movie Hoosiers, and rightly so. There are definite similarities, including the always-gripping David vs. Goliath plot. While Hoosiers was mostly true with some fictionalization, One Shot At Forever is a completely true story, pieced together by Chris Ballard through research and extensive interviews. Ballard is a great storyteller who brings the characters to life and instantly makes you a fan of the 1971 Macon High School Ironmen. At that time in Illinois, there were no sports class divisions, so if your school had 100 students, they were pitted against schools that had 5000 when competing for the state title. The Ironmen were led by Lynn Sweet, the reluctant, long-haired, hippie coach who announced at the first practice that he didn’t have many rules, and that practice was optional. He felt that his team should be playing to have fun, and if it wasn’t fun anymore, they shouldn’t play at all. He was more psychologist and mentor than coach, and the kids loved him. I loved this book; it is one of the best I have read all year.
Pure by Juliana Baggott. 2012. 9781455503063. Gr. 11-Adult.
On the surface, Pure seems to be just another in the long line of dystopias that has emerged post-Hunger Games. But Pure gets big points for its originality. The post-apocalyptic world has arisen due to what is referred to as the Detonations. Those that survived the blasts intact live in the Dome, a sterile sanctuary, but those outside of this protected area were obviously not so lucky. They were changed by the blasts, often in gruesome and disfiguring ways. They fused with whatever was around them when the blasts happened, and the young protagonist, Pressia, shows this. She has a doll’s face fused to the end of her arm. Others have fused with objects, animals, or other people, all of which causes them to have a natural disdain for those living unharmed in the Dome. When Partridge, a dome-dweller, and Pressia are forced together by circumstance, their worlds collide. They work together to reveal the truth about what happened to cause all of this. This is an original take on the now-common dystopia novel.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. 2012. 9780679644194. Gr. 11-Adult.
This is a beautifully-written, multi-layered, coming-of-age, sparkling debut novel, and also one of my favorite of the year (I almost didn’t have enough hyphens and commas for that sentence, and interestingly enough, there are many more adjectives to describe this book!). The setting is the 80s, at the onset of the AIDS epidemic. June Elbus is growing up with many of the same problems teens encounter; finding her place in the world, arguing with her older sister, and being embarrassed by her parents. June can always find refuge in her relationship with her uncle, Finn, a famous artist. Finn is dying of AIDS, and this obviously impacts June immensely. As if being a teen isn’t hard enough, June has to deal with very heavy situations and circumstances. The author brings the reader to contemplate love in all of its forms, and the result is powerful. This is a heartbreakingly sad, yet hopeful book that I cannot recommend enough.
Blogger : Ryan H.
WWII Fiction and Nonfiction for Middle School
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes. April 2013. 9780763660376. Gr 6-8.
When I heard the Candlewick rep say, ” Hero is about a 13-year-old boy during World War II, living in Italy,” I wanted to read this book. World War II is my favorite period of history. We meet Paolo Crivelli, his older sister Constanza, and their mother Rosemary living in the hills of Florence. It is 1944, and the Allied forces are trying to push the Nazis north of Florence to the Italian border. Paolo wants to be part of the war efforts, but is too young to enlist as a soldier and is bored staying home. So he daily plans his escape and rides his beloved bike through the darkened streets of Florence late at night.
One night on his way back home, he is stopped by some Partisans who want help from Paolo’s family. Rosemary agrees to hide Allied prisoners until they can be moved to safety. By hiding prisoners, she puts her whole family at risk of being shot. Paolo, Constanza, and Rosemary show their bravery and courage.
This story captured my attention from the first page. It is Shirley’s first novel, but she has known since she visited Florence at the end of World War II that she would someday write a story about this beautiful area. That someday has come—sixty years later. Her teenage characters seem very authentic, because she based them not only on her own memories as a teenager living in England during this war, but also on a family she met in Italy after the war.
Courage Has No Color : The True Story of the Triple Nickels : America’s First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone. 2013. 9780763651176. Gr 5-8.
Courage Has No Color is also a story about World War II, but it is based here in the U.S. Think about it, we had troops in Europe and the Pacific fighting Hitler’s injustices. But in the United States, men of black skin didn’t have the same rights as those with white skin. German and Italian prisoners of war, who had killed American soldiers, were allowed into the post exchange, but the black soldiers in uniforms were not allowed in. Black soldiers could not even sit at a table with the white soldiers to eat. They were treated as servants.
I had not heard of this group of paratroopers before, but I have gained much respect for them from this book. In the fall of 1943, first sergeant Walter Morris started a training program modeling that of the white paratroopers. Within a week his men began to act like soldiers. Sixteen African-American men made history on February 18, 1944, when they became paratroopers. The Triple Nickels were never sent to the war front, but were transferred to Pendleton Air Base in Oregon. At Pendleton, the Triple Nickels became smoke-jumpers, putting out fires started by bomb-laden balloons. These balloons had been floated by the Japanese on the jet stream to the west coast of the U.S. I found this story as fascinating as the Red Tails story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American group of pilots from World War II.
Tanya Lee Stone asks, “What did it take to be a paratrooper in World War II? Specialized training, extreme physical fitness, courage, and—until the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (the Triple Nickels) was formed –white skin… What is courage? What is strength? Perhaps it is being ready to fight for your nation even when your nation isn’t ready to fight for you.”
Guestblogger : Kathy V.
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