Henry Forester is just 19 years old during World War 2. He is one of the best fliers around. But, when his plane is shot down behind enemy lines, he discovers a whole other side to the war. Henry not only has to rely on other people for his life, he must also start to rely on his own abilities.
A great historical read!
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ReplyDeleteThe sequel to Under a War-torn Sky, the award-winning young adult WWII novel. A Troubled Peace parallels today’s headlines
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Washington, D.C., November 11, 2009: In Under a War-torn Sky, author L.M. Elliott introduced her readers to young WWII bomber pilot, Henry Forester, who is shot down behind enemy lines and slowly makes his way across Nazi-occupied France in a desperate bid to return home. A Troubled Peace begins with the pilot safely home in Virginia but still haunted by nightmares and flashbacks of the war. In order to come to terms with his past, he returns to post-war France to find Pierre, the young boy who saved his life. In the process, he discovers a country still struggling, just as he is, to rebuild from the war.
“The idea of a sequel actually came from fans of Under a War-torn Sky,” said Elliott. “At school visits and in emails to my website, students and readers kept asking what happened next to the characters. They especially want to know if Henry and Patsy married, if Pierre and Claudette survived the Nazis, did Henry’s father become less demanding. I decided to go back to France to find out.”
A Troubled Peace took on a thematic timeliness as Elliott researched post-WWII France. “My novel ended up exploring the emotional trauma facing combat veterans and civilian survivors, the destruction and confusion left in the wake of war. It resonates with today’s headlines as our soldiers return home from tours of duty, and as we pull out of Iraq and try to stabilize Afghanistan.”
Reviewers also make note of the connection to current events. Writes Children's Literature: "With our own country currently at war, this compelling book proves especially timely. Elliott vividly captures the turmoil, fear and hope of the times and the sense of trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild. 'War ends,' she writes in the afterword, 'and the battle for peace begins.'"
Adds ALA’s Booklist: “In this sequel to Elliott’s acclaimed Under a War-Torn Sky, bomber pilot hero Henry Forester is back home in Virginia, suffering from nightmares and starting at every loud noise. Readers will recognize these symptoms as PTSD (then known as battle fatigue) and empathize with Henry’s need to go back to France and search for the young boy who jeopardized his own life helping Henry escape. Returning and new readers alike will find gasp-producing action, well-developed characters, and deep details about the privations war brings.”
Under a War-torn Sky is a NCSS/CBC Notable Book in Social Studies (National Council for Social Studies/Children's Book Council), a Jefferson Cup Honor Book for historical fiction, winner of Border’s Original Voices Award for YA Literature, and a finalist for the Iowa, PA, SC, and MD state teen literature awards. Elliott also has written Annie Between the States, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, IRA Teachers’ choice, and VA Readers’ Choice finalist; Give Me Liberty, and Flying South, winner of the Joan G. Sugarman Children’s Literature Award.
A long-time writer for the Washingtonian magazine, Elliott was twice a finalist for the National Magazine Award. She wrote often on children, women’s issues, and health. Elliott graduated from Wake Forest University and holds a Masters in journalism from the University of North Carolina. Elliott lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, two children, and their herd of pets.
For more info see: www.lmelliott.com