Brave Like My Brother, written by Marc Tyler Nobleman, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: This book is a series of letters between Joe, who just arrived in England after joining the war effort in 1942, and his younger brother Charlie, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Charlie writes about being bullied and Joe feels bad that his is not there to protect his younger brother. He draws a comparison to war being like a real life bully. Joe talks about the grueling training, what they eat, what they miss from home. Joe mentions a secret assignment he has been given. Charlie writes about how his parents are doing, how the town has changed and how much his misses his older brother. This story takes place around D-Day. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This book is a really good introduction to war stories at the elementary level. It does talk about some specific events and the details are accurate. It has some exciting moments, like when Joe captures a spy. Both brothers are dealing with issues of bullying, which I think reflects what a young reader might be going through. The librarian in me noticed when Charlie wrote, “But if you didn’t like having me for a brother, you wouldn’t have stuck up for me those times when Jed was making fun of me because I’d rather read than run around causing trouble like he does.” You and me both, buddy 😉 This book does not contain any graphic details about the horrors of war, so it is appropriate for younger readers. The cover is really eye catching and I think is appropriate for younger readers and older readers who need more practice. It’s a good Hi-Lo choice for history teachers to be able to supplement any units about World War II. The point of view changes with each character’s letter, so that style of writing will challenge readers who were just expecting a narrative. It would be a good addition to a school library and used for a war book display. It would make for a good fiction suggestion to go along with non-fiction books about the war. Some of the reviews were hard on the author for taking liberties with a secret mission being detailed and not censored by the military, but I think it’s appropriate for elementary/middle grade fiction. It would be hard to work the exciting story of inflatable tanks into the letters without taking some writing liberties. I think the benefit to readers outweighs the author leaving this information out in order to be historically accurate. It’s a great choice for budding war buffs.

Author's Twitter: @MarcTNobleman
Publisher's Twitter: @scholastic
Author's Website:https://www.noblemania.com/
Reviewer's Twitter: @kjanek