Shattered: Stories of Children and War

ISBN 10: 037591112X ISBN 13: 9780375911125

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2002

Synopsis

As bullets ring out and bombs are dropped, children watch—mostly from the sidelines, but occasionally in the direct line of fire. Unaware of the political issues
or power struggles behind the battle, all they know are the human, emotional consequences of this thing called war.

Critically acclaimed author Jennifer Armstrong brings together 12 powerful voices in young people’s literature to explore the realities of war from a child’s perspective. The settings vary widely—the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an attempted coup in Venezuela, the American Civil War, crises in the Middle East—but the effects are largely the same. In war, no life is left untouched. In war, lives are shattered.

About this title

Review

For children who live in war times, whether they understand the issues or not, the future is precarious. According to the United Nations, armed conflicts now kill and maim more children than soldiers. In Shattered, editor Jennifer Armstrong gathers 12 stories that explore the ways young people are affected by war. From Afghanistan to Hawaii, Civil War times to the present, Joseph Bruchac, Ibtisam Barakat, Lois Metger, Marilyn Singer, and others describe, in painful, sometimes wry, detail small slices of their war-splintered world. M.E. Kerr depicts the mixed feelings of the family of a conscientious objector. Graham Salisbury writes about a high-school boy woken out of a complacent existence to discover his island is under attack and he must don his wrinkled high-school ROTC shirt to defend his home. A single line of text runs along the bottom of each story, providing cold, dismaying background information about each war portrayed. Authors' notes at the end of the book allow contributors to give a little more of the personal history behind the stories. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From the Back Cover

This collection, written by 12 noted young adult authors, examines all
of war’s implications for young people—from those caught in
the line of fire to the children of veterans of wars long past.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 037591112X
• ISBN 13: 9780375911125
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 176
• Editor: Armstrong Jennifer