D-Day: The World War II Invasion that Changed History (Scholastic Focus)

Sibert Honor author Deborah Hopkinson brings her signature action-packed narrative style to one of the most crucial battles of WWII.

The WWII invasion known as D-Day was the largest military endeavor in history. By June 6, 1944, Hitler and his allies had a strong grip on the European continent, where Nazi Germany was engaged in the mass extermination of the Jewish people. The goal of D-Day was the total defeat of Hitler's regime, and the defense of free democracies everywhere. Knowing they had to breach the French coast, the US, Great Britain, and Canada planned for the impossible.

D-Day was an invasion not for conquest, but liberation, and required years to plan and total secrecy to keep the advantage of surprise. Once deployed, Operation Overlord involved soldiers, sailors, paratroopers, and specialists. Acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the contributions of not only D-Day's famous players, but African Americans, women, journalists, and service members in a masterful tapestry of official documents, personal narratives, and archival photos to bring this decisive battle to vivid, thrilling life.

Deborah Hopkinson is the highly acclaimed author of thrilling, accessible, and compelling works of fiction and nonfiction for every reader. She has written over forty award-winning books, including World War II Close Up: They Saved the Stallions and They Battled in Blizzards; Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and Sibert Honor Book; D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History; We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport, which was a Kids' Book Choice Award Nominee and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book; NCTE/Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, We Must Not Forget; Race Against Death, which School Library Journal called "impactful" in a starred review; and her series for Grades 2-5, The Deadliest, which are action-packed, photo-filled nonfiction titles about disasters throughout history, and the rollicking novel The Plot to Kill a Queen. Deborah lives outside Portland, Oregon.