• click here to return to the homepage •
or 
Home > Categories > Books > Young Adult > My Story: War Stories for Girls review
Three different girls, three diaries from the second world war:
Kitty signs up as a Red Cross nurse in a military hospital and is soon nursing casualties of the war raging in Europe.
Sophie joins the Resistance movement in northern France and becomes involved in a dangerous plan to save a young soldier.
Edie and her little brother are caught up in the horror of the London Blitz and evacuated to the Welsh countryside.
Experience history first-hand with three vividly imagined stories of girls' lives during the Second World War.
My Story - War Nurse
My Story - Titanic
My Story - Workhouse
My Story - Viking Blood
My Story - 1900 - A Brand New Century
My Royal Story - Cleopatra
My New Zealand Story - Earthquake! : Napier, 1930-31
My Story - Henry VIII's Wives
Gumdigger
My True Story: Give Us the Vote!
My New Zealand Story - Here Come the Marines
My Story - No Way Back
London Stories
My Story: Berlin Olympics
My Story: Titanic - Anniversary edition
Best-Ever Barbecue Recipes
Uncover : The Human Body
Wacko Kakapo
My Adventure Island
Don't Flush
Scream #2: The Spider Army
Marvel Ant-Man: The Novel
Geronimo Stilton Spacemice #5: Rescue Rebellion
The House With a Clock in Its Walls
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Illustrated)
The Dragon Who Lost His SparkProduct reviews...
Review by: anistasya (Beaulah)
Dated: 5th of December, 2009
I found this a fascinating concept, a little bit like the diary on Anne Frank, only much tamer.
Kitty is nineteen and through her eyes, we get a glimpse of the hospitals and nurses during WW2. She is cute, a little shy, but ultimately determined and heroic. I enjoyed her story and could easily have read a whole novel about her. I found myself wanting to see where her budding romance with the doctor might go... but sadly the story ended and it was on to the next girl.
Sophie was my favourite character of the three. Only fourteen, she was in the heart of German-occupied France and determined to do her bit. I liked her ingenuity, courage and cuteness. Her attachment to the Scottish soldier was well crafted, but again, I found myself wishing there was some conclusion to their story.
Edie's story was the last and reminded me strongly of the Chronicles of Narnia. She is a lot like Susan, scared but sort of bossy, especially with her younger brother. I did not find this one quite as engaging as the previous one, primarily because I didn't like the central character so much. Still, I did think she stepped up and took charge when the need arose, which was cool.
Each of the stories has a historical blurb at the end explaining the context and facts surrounding the story plus a timeline of relevant real events. Given that I have never had an interest in WW2 (too much violence and pointless death) I appreciated reading about it in a way that addressed the normal lives of normal girls in extraordinary circumstances. This is a very accessible way to introduce girls to real history and for that, I highly recommend it. It is probably a good 'slice of life' length for the audience, though I would have personally preferred longer, full novels that had genuine conclusions.
Still, I am keen to get my hands on the other books in the 'My Story' series including "Road to War" - about the first world war, "Tudor Stories for Girls", "Pompeii" and "Titanic". This series is great for making history interesting!
Random listing from 'Books'...
A little girl says tearful goodbyes to her home full of pets as the family prepares to leave on summer holiday, pretending all along that it is the pets that are sad, not her. Kitten, mouse, frog, fish and duck all get a careful farewell, but actually what harm is there? Surely they can all fit.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Forgive your enemies but never forget their names."
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
