Captured: An American Prisoner of War in North Vietnam written by Alvin Townley, reviewed by Sara Zielinski

Summary: Captured tells the story of naval aviator Jeremiah Denton. He was shot down and captured in North Vietnam in 1965. The text shows what it was like for him as a prisoner of war. It shows his resilience of spirit as he was isolated and tortured. Denton helped develop a system of secret codes for the captured soldiers to be able to communicate. Captured utilizes images to help the reader visualize the people and places. Jeremiah Denton's story is powerful and will draw many readers in. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I really enjoyed this story. I think it covered an intense topic without simplifying it too much or making it too graphic. This is the kind of story that many budding history buffs will love. The fomatting of the text almost makes it feel like a diary. The edges are of the pages are greyed and the chapters have barbed wire details. I think this book can be used by students and parents to teach about war and how difficult things happen in life. This story has a positive message of resilience. I think this book could be used in English and History classes. The text has a bibliography, endnotes, photograph and map credits, and an index. This could be very useful when it comes to teaching different text features and their purpose. I have had several students read and enjoy this story.