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

by Deborah Hopkinson

Overview

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

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.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545682497
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	120 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

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 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.

Read an Excerpt

June 6, 1944 -- just past midnight off the coast of Normandy"'Look, men, look! It's the fleet.'" At the sergeant's voice, paratrooper David Kenyon Webster peered out the window of the rumbling C-47 plane and caught his breath. "'Man, oh man.'"The clouds had slid off the moon to reveal an extraordinary sight. "Five hundred feet below, spread out for miles on the moonlit sea, were scores and scores of landing barges, destroyers, cruisers, and attack transports," said David. "They were bearing the infantry slowly east, like a flood of lava, to a dawn assault on the shingle shore of Normandy."He turned back around. "I stared at the men opposite me in the racketing, vibrating, oil-reeking, vomit-scented darkness . . . My stomach tightened and filled with ice, and a voice told me to get ready."'It's coming,' the voice said, 'it's coming.'"Not much longer now. The paratroopers of E Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, were set to jump before one in the morning. They had just a few hours to clear the way for infantry soldiers landing on Utah Beach at dawn. Their mission: to destroy German gun nests and take control of four causeways leading off the beach over a mile of lowlands the enemy had flooded as a defensive measure. These tracks were the only ways off the beach. If Americans controlled them, the thousands of soldiers landing on the beachhead would be able to move inland, seal off the base of the Cotentin Peninsula, and move north into it to capture the port of Cherbourg. It could make the difference between gaining a real foothold in France -- or being stalled on the shore, giving Germany more time to rush in reinforcements for a counterattack.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for D-Day: The WWII Invasion that Changed History:

* "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

"Hopkinson is particularly adept at directing attention to the stories behind the heroic stories." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"How does an author sequentially chronicle multiple, rapidly developing, and simultaneous events and maintain not just coherence, but suspense? Hopkinson employs her signature kaleidoscopic style effectively here: synthesizing complex events into a compelling narrative arc, and sampling myriad voices to add texture and color to the story, while never losing sight of the bigger picture." — The Horn Book

"Such major figures as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley get plenty of attention, but more is given to the experiences of the soldiers who waded ashore under fire or parachuted behind enemy lines. Hopkinson weaves their personal accounts with those of observations by Ernie Pyle and others to bring the invasion vividly to life... An attractively packaged, engrossing history that will appeal to readers fascinated with military strategy." — Kirkus Reviews

"With thoroughness and clarity, this title brings D-Day into focus by breaking it down into components and focusing on human voices and perspectives... provides a wealth of information clearly presented alongside many black and white photos, resulting in an engaging read even for those who may not be interested in a book about military history. The complexity of the historical task undertaken, the challenges of the terrain, and the courage required of those involved is conveyed by the author without hyperbole and by allowing the participants to tell their own stories. Highly Recommended." — School Library Connection

Praise for Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific:

* "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

* "It's an appealing, engrossing package for readers fascinated by heroism and military strategy." — The Horn Book, starred review

"The real appeal, of course, is danger and heroism, and in drawing liberally from first-person accounts by surviving veterans, Hopkinson often emulates the tone of Greatest Generation memoir... And kudos to Hopkinson, whose eagle eye even located the contingent of women nurses evacuated by sub from the Philippines." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A riveting narrative nonfiction selection for middle school collections." — School Library Journal

"The diverse individual stories... make the history come alive." — School Library Connection

Praise for Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark:

A Sydney Taylor Notable BookAn NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended BookA Bank Street Center for Children's Literature Best Children's Book of the Year selectionA Cybils Award Finalist

"[A] spirited, inspiring, and extremely well-researched book... ideal for both classroom use and independent reading." — Booklist

"With numerous pictures and illustrations accompanying the text, this is a fascinating look at a little-known corner of WWII." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Titanic: Voices from the Disaster:

A Sibert Honor BookA YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction FinalistAn ALA Notable Children's BookAn IRA Teacher's ChoiceA Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the YearA Horn Book Fanfare BookA Cybils Award Finalist

"An affecting portrait of human ambition, folly and almost unbearable nobility in the face of death." — The Wall Street Journal

"A meticulous recounting of the disaster... Hopkinson's reporting is so rich with information that it will be equally fascinating to young readers and adults alike." — Los Angeles Times

* "Hopkinson knows precisely what's she doing in her coverage of the Titanic disaster... [A] fine book." — The Horn Book, starred review

* "Fascinating... A thorough and absorbing re-creation of the ill-fated voyage." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Riveting." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "An absorbing and richly satisfying read." — School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for Up Before Daybreak:

* "Rarely have the links between northern industry, southern agriculture, slavery, war, child labor, and poverty been so skillfully distilled for this audience." — Booklist, starred review

* "Superb nonfiction writing." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Excellent." — School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for Shutting Out the Sky:

A Jane Addams Peace Award Honor BookAn Orbis Pictus Honor BookAn ALA Notable BookA Sydney Taylor Notable Book

* "Nonfiction at its best." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[A] fascinating read." — School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 07/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Hopkinson has compiled a comprehensive and absorbing overview of the largest military operation in history: the Allied invasion of Normandy, on June 6, 1944. The author describes the thoughts and feelings of individual soldiers and paratroopers, the extensive planning by the leaders, the horrific battles on various beaches, the work of reporters and photographers (Ernie Pyle and Robert Capa, respectively), as well as segregation and the effect it had on the military. Lengthy quotations by those who experienced the invasion add depth to the content. The text is accompanied by an abundance of half- and full-page black-and-white photos and sidebars, called briefings or dispatches here, that are one to four pages long. However, the captions are probably the weakest part of this title; many don't provide enough information. For example, one image of smiling soldiers lacks context ("Troops headed across the English Channel."). Still, frequent "Look, Listen, Remember" boxes lead readers to various websites for additional information. The back matter is extremely thorough and contains a list of the key figures and more online resources. VERDICT Even with some minor faults, this insightful title, chock-full of primary sources, is a strong purchase.—Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

School Library Journal

2018-06-11
Hopkinson relates events of the World War II invasion now known as D-Day, arguably the largest and most complex military operation in history.Although thousands of British and Canadian troops participated in the invasion—and German soldiers greeted it—Hopkinson focuses primarily on the experiences of Americans at Utah and Omaha beaches. Such major figures as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley get plenty of attention, but more is given to the experiences of the soldiers who waded ashore under fire or parachuted behind enemy lines. Hopkinson weaves their personal accounts with those of observations by Ernie Pyle and others to bring the invasion vividly to life. One remarkable story is that of Pvt. Hal Baumgartner, wounded four times in 24 hours on Omaha Beach and wounded a fifth time at the aid station he was taken to when German snipers opened fire. As in Hopkinson's Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines (2016), the fast-paced narrative is supplemented with three types of interspersed text: "briefings," which home in on special topics, including the roles of women and African-American soldiers in the invasion; "dispatches," or first-person accounts; and "reader's invasion briefings," which cover strategy. Numerous archival, black-and-white photographs offer a parallel visual story, and interspersed pointers to additional, often online resources encourage further research.An attractively packaged, engrossing history that will appeal to readers fascinated with military strategy. (maps, timeline, glossary, websites, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews