Resist: A Story of D-Day, Alan Gratz

It is tough for me to say I am disappointed in this book, not only because the author is so well-respected but because the era (WW2) is a favorite. Resist is a middle-grade book (ages 8-12) that all should read. But there isn't a lot to it.

Resist follows Samira on her hunt to find and save her mother from certain death at the hands of the Nazis. Along her travels, she runs into a "3 or 4-year-old boy" who not only carries a gun and has the understanding and patience not to shoot it at the Nazis as he and Samira wait for them to pass by, but he then goes on to direct Samira on how to get out of the city and tells her he will be going on by himself to cut communication wires. Sorry - way too far of a stretch there. There are other snippets equally as far-fetched, which have nothing to do with knowledge of the war.

The book is good as it has an appropriate moral ending, and the reader will enjoy it because it is super quick. But, it will fall flat for older youths as there isn't much to sink one's teeth into, even for an 8-year-old, but especially for a 12-year-old.