Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II (Scholastic Focus) Spiral-Bound | April 18, 2023
Deborah Hopkinson
★★★★☆+ from Up to 30 ratings
Race Against Death: The Greatest POW Rescue of World War II (Scholastic Focus)
Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and thoughtfully designed works of narrative nonfiction aimed at middle-grade and young adult readers. These books help readers learn about the world in which they live and develop their critical thinking skills so that they may become dynamic citizens who are able to analyze and understand our past, participate in essential discussions about our present, and work to grow and build our future.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America entered World War II, and a new theater of battle opened up in the Pacific. But US troops, along with thousands of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside them, were overtaken in the Philippines by a fiercely determined Japanese navy, and many Americans and Filipino fighters were killed or captured.
These American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to endure the most horrific conditions on the deadly trek known as the Bataan Death March. Then, the American servicemen who were held captive by the Japanese military in Cabanatuan Camp and others in the Philippines, faced beatings, starvation, and tropical diseases, and lived constantly under the threat of death.
Unable to forget their comrades’ fate and concerned that these POWs would be brutally murdered as the tides of war shifted in the Pacific, the US Army Rangers undertook one of the most daring and dangerous rescue missions of all time. Aided by the “Angels of the Underground,” the Sixth Ranger Battalion and courageous Filipino guerrilla soldiers set out on an uncertain and treacherous assignment. Often called the Great Raid, this remarkable story remains largely forgotten.
Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson presents an extraordinary and unflinching look at the heroic servicemen and women who courageously weathered the worst of circumstances and conditions in service to their country, as well as those who answered the call to save their fellow soldiers.
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* "Historical context, personal stories, and letters are seamlessly integrated in this history of frightened refugee children in a new land and their brave parents' making 'the heart-wrenching decision' to send their children away with strangers to a foreign country. Well-crafted, accessible, and essential." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
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* "Hopkinson has compiled a comprehensive and absorbing overview... this insightful title, chock-full of primary sources, is a strong purchase." -- School Library Journal, starred review
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* "Hopkinson crafts a gripping narrative... Fascinating World War II history for history buffs and browsers alike." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Readers wait anxiously alongside crew members amid silence and dangerous heat and oxygen levels as the submariners narrowly escape enemy detection or brace for depth charge explosions that rattle bones, fray nerves, and signal possible death... With a fascinating blend of submarine mechanics and tales of courage, readers will dive in deep." -- Booklist, starred review
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A Sydney Taylor Notable Book
An NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
A Bank Street Center for Children's Literature Best Children's Book of the Year selection
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A Cybils Award Finalist
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