Duty Calls: Battle of Britain: World War 2 Fiction

by James Holland

Overview

Pilot officer Archie Jackson, 19, is in control of the RAF's newest fighter aircraft, a Supermarine Spitfire.

Now he has the Luftwaffe in his sights and only one thing matters: defending Britain.

Suddenly planes are falling from the sky, exploding and spiralling into the English Channel.

France has fallen and the swastika flies over Occupied Europe. Only these young pilots - barely out of boyhood - stand between Britain and a Nazi invasion . . .

Duty Calls: Battle of Britain, throws you deep into the heart - and horror - of Britain's darkest, and finest, hour.

** Historian James Holland is the bestselling author of the Jack Tanner adult war fiction books. Duty Calls is his first series for younger readers, and showcases his expertise on the Second World War.
** James Holland presented Battle of Britain: The Real Story on BBC2.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141961132
Publisher:	Penguin Random House Children's UK
Publication date:	06/07/2012
Series:	Duty Calls
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	11 Years

About the Author

James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories he has presented - and written - a large number of television programmes and series. He has a weekly Second World War podcast, We Have of Making You Talk, with Al Murray, and is Chair of the Chalke Valley History Festival. He is a research fellow at St Andrew's University.

Editorial Reviews

"Plenty of action. . . sharp dialogue and swift characterisation. The whole is intelligently structured so that this is absorbing and thoughtful as well as tense and exciting."  —Daily Telegraph on Blood of Honour

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
Gr 7 Up—Two World War II adventures by acclaimed historian Holland. In Battle of Britain, Archie is flying airplanes for the British, protecting his home country against the dangerous Luftwaffe. As bombs drop and the Battle of Britain rages on, the young man must remain stalwart and hope that the British can hold out against the Germans. In Dunkirk, Private Johnny Hawke, at only 16, is about to see his first action in World War II. It is nothing like he ever imagined. The realities of war make him wonder if he will make it out of France alive. Holland's series will be World War II heaven for military history buffs. The stories are well fleshed out, with myriad details that create a sense of immediacy. The danger and even the boredom of war is well explored in these entries. The author combines historical fact with vulnerable characters often forced to remain stoic in the face of atrocity. This series interweaves military action with the day-to-day activities of a combat-ready soldier. The glossary and maps will be much needed for many readers inexperienced with the military vocabulary. The stories are so filled with historical detail that the human connection sometimes disappears. VERDICT This title is perfect for die-hard historical fiction fans who love World War II. However, the slow pace will deter other readers.—Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN

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