OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Jane's War" by Ann Carlisle.]

Jane's War by Ann Carlisle is a young adult novel set in England during the Second World War. Readers experience the war through the eyes of a child. Jane moved to a new family and a new school. Separation from her mother and lack of information about her father made her feel abandoned and insecure.

Jane wanted a happy family. She longed for a loving mother and a caring father. Sadly, the seven-year-old believed that both had disappeared from her life. She had no memories of her father. Her mother posted an ad in the paper asking for a family to care for Jane so she could keep her job at the hospital. Jane went to live with the Easton's and became friends with Harry, the Easton's son. Her mother's visits were infrequent, strengthening her belief that she was unloved and unwanted. Jane's lack of knowledge about her father deepened her insecurities. Was her father away fighting in the war? Had her father abandoned her, just like her mother? Would she have a family after the war was over?

Jane's life took on a different focus during and after the war. The first part of the book presented Jane's life with her second family, her adaptation to a new school, and her struggle with her mother's apparent lack of interest in her life. Jane's War is an excellent book to accompany history lessons for children in the fourth to sixth grades as the main character matured from age seven to twelve in the story. The author presented the battles Jane faced in her family and in her new living situation. At school, the children had drills to prepare for an air raid. In real life, Jane and her friend, Helen, experienced an actual air raid. Young readers will identify with Jane's fears about fitting in at a new school and her happiness about participating in the school play. The second part of the book focused on Jane's immature decisions and the consequences of her drastic measures to reunite her family.

The story followed along chronologically with a month and year opening each new chapter. There were a few instances when the months went backward. I found this especially distracting when one of the characters died, and according to the dates given, had been buried a month earlier. I also noticed a repeated paragraph in the short span of four pages.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The author did a fantastic job of giving readers a different perspective of the Second World War through the eyes of a child. Unfortunately, the mistakes in the timeline and other misspelled words affected the score. Jane's War is an exciting read for young adults, readers of history, and history teachers. I would also recommend this book to any military family with children. People who do not read young adult or history novels would not enjoy this book.

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Jane's War
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This sounds like a good story to teach children about war and its effect on families. Unfortunately, this is not my preferred genre so I will pass up. Thanks anyway.

I do enjoy young adult books and historical books, but war is definitely not a setting I enjoy reading. Thanks for the helpful review though, I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this one.

I used to read a lot of young adult historical fiction books like this one when I was a kid. I've outgrown them now, but I remember that I learned a lot from them. Thanks for your review!

Thank you for your review. It makes history more meaningful when kids can relate to a character in the time period.

I think it's often complicated to read books about war. And this book was told from a children's perspective. It seems really intriguing.
Thank you for an amazing review!!

Michelle Fred wrote: ↑18 Sep 2019, 05:42 This sounds like a good story to teach children about war and its effect on families. Unfortunately, this is not my preferred genre so I will pass up. Thanks anyway.

It does help us to understand how a child feels and experiences war. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your comments!

rumik wrote: ↑18 Sep 2019, 07:42 I do enjoy young adult books and historical books, but war is definitely not a setting I enjoy reading. Thanks for the helpful review though, I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this one.

I thought the author presented the story from a unique perspective. There are so many books written about the soldiers and the battles. The author helps readers see how the war impacts even the youngest members of a nation. Thanks for commenting!

Rachel Lea wrote: ↑18 Sep 2019, 08:58 I used to read a lot of young adult historical fiction books like this one when I was a kid. I've outgrown them now, but I remember that I learned a lot from them. Thanks for your review!

Historical fiction book written from a child's perspective help children (and adults) see the effects of war from a different perspective. I agree that historical fiction novels can teach us something new remind us of things we may have forgotten! Thanks for stopping by.

MsH2k wrote: ↑18 Sep 2019, 09:11 Thank you for your review. It makes history more meaningful when kids can relate to a character in the time period.

The author did a wonderful job of including age-appropriate activities that children would relate to while reading Jane's story. Thanks for commenting!

ivana7 wrote: ↑19 Sep 2019, 04:09 I think it's often complicated to read books about war. And this book was told from a children's perspective. It seems really intriguing.
Thank you for an amazing review!!

Most people have some knowledge about this war, and probably have seen numerous movies on this theme. This book invites readers to see the war, and its effects, from a different perspective. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Wow, this is a very heavy subject. I find this book to be incredibly informative for anyone reading it... I might give it a try.

corinaelena wrote: ↑22 Sep 2019, 10:25 Wow, this is a very heavy subject. I find this book to be incredibly informative for anyone reading it... I might give it a try.

It is very informative. I also enjoyed that it is written from the perspective of a young adult. It is to the author's credit that she makes you reflect and think about adult themes as experienced by youth. I hope you will enjoy this book too. Thanks for sharing your comments. I appreciate them.