WWI+in+YAL

**World War I in Young Adult Literature** Trenches, rats, disease, explosions, tanks, poison gas and mass graves—this hardly sounds like an appropriate subject for children. But WWI in all of its gory detail has found a niche inside young adult literature (YAL). Children as young as eleven years old have access to these four years of the Great War through carefully cited and strikingly illustrated nonfiction texts created just for them.

Besides the horror of war recorded in these texts, all of the books also include a detailed reasoning as to why the war started, or in the case of the book about the home front, why the U.S. entered the war. Interestingly enough, each author puts a slightly different spin on the reasons the war started.

By emphasizing different events, the authors create varying opinions about who or what was responsible for the war. Not only are these historical nonfiction texts informing young readers about the war, they are also supplying the readers with a specific interpretation of historical events based on the authors’ and publishers’ unique perspectives.

[|More information on WWI video]

Books for young readers:
 * [[image:yalit2011/Unraveling_Freedom.jpg width="347" height="432" link="http://www.annbausum.com/"]] || B eginning with the heart-wrenching story of the sinking of the //Lusitania// and continuing through the tales of the horrific treatment, including murders and lynching, of German-Americans, Bausum’s book strives for an emotional reaction to these events (46). This is also done to inspire the readers to approach their world differently. Bausum’s view of the UnitedState’s entrance to the war is portrayed as much nobler than that of the European countries. Here, an entirely different story is told: one of the glory and justice of war.

[|National Geographic]is Bausum’s publishing company. Though education is a big part of the company’s focus, education is used for “inspiring people to care about the planet” (//National Geographic//). Inspiration is connected with passion, emotion, and it usually prompts some sort of action. The sweeping panoramic photographs displayed on their website emphasize the emotions they are trying to convey and inspire in their audience. The influence of a feeling and idea is easily identified in Bausum's book and is in agreement with National Geographic’s mission of “inspiring people to care.” ||
 * [[image:yalit2011/War_to_End_all_Wars.jpg width="329" height="291" link="http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmr/mtai/freedman.html"]] || Russell Freedman's book is much more informational in tone than the other books I have come across in this genre. Though he admits that “historians continue to debate the tangled and confusing causes of the conflict,” he does not overtly state his own opinion (19). This forces him to be much more forgiving of governmental figures than other WWI literature to make sure that he does not inadvertently condemn them.

Freedman's publisher, Clarion Books, is an imprint of [|Houghton Milton Harcourt](HMH). In their “About Us” section on their website, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt focuses on the company’s origins and the many successful writers they have published over the years. Freedman is one of the current popular children’s authors lauded by the company, and in a plug for his book he is hailed as a “nonfiction master” (“Book Detail Page”). Perhaps this idea of his writing persona contributed to his emphasis on providing a strictly informational, unbiased view of the war. To be a master of the nonfiction genre does imply a certain dedication to authenticity, so perhaps he was dissuaded form adding much of his own opinion into his masterful work of nonfiction. ||
 * [[image:yalit2011/Truce.jpg link="@http://jimmurphybooks.com/"]] || Murphy's book is about the miraculous Christmas truce that the soldiers initiated on Christmas day 1914. His book condemns the war-hungry leaders who started the war (with poltical ambition in mind) and kept it going longer than it should have. The book also glorifies the few moments of peace the soldiers carved out for themselves in No Man's Land.

[|Scholastic Press], the publisher for Murphy’s //Truce//, is focused on “helping children around the world to read and learn” (“About Scholastic”). However, Scholastic Press also “believes in cooperation and understanding among all people for the peace of the world” (“About Scholastic”). In light of their credo and mission statement, it is easy to see why they published Murphy’s book. ||

More WWI Nonfiction YAL

WWI in Film Resources
 * [[image:yalit2011/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(1930_film).jpg width="284" height="463"]] || [[image:yalit2011/paths-of-glory.jpg]] ||
 * [[image:yalit2011/war_horse_movie_poster.jpg width="383" height="610" link="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRf3SfeMRD4"]] ||  ||

“About Scholastic.” //Scholastic//. Scholastic Inc, 2011. Web.6 Dec. 2011.

Bausum, Ann. //Unraveling Freedom: The// //Battle// //for Democracy on the Home Front During// //World// //War// //I//.Washington,DC: National Geographic Society, 2010. Print.

“Book Detail Page.” //hmhbooks.com.//Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2011. Web.6 Dec. 2011.

Freedman, Russell. //The War to End All Wars: World War I//.New York: Clarion Books, 2010. Print.

Murphy, Jim. //Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting//.New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. Print.

//National Geographic.// National Geographic Society, 2011. Web.6 Dec. 2011.