| Number | Call Number | Branch | Status | Volume |
| 1 |
YA F Duble Kathleen |
MK |
In at MK (Middendorf-Kredell) |
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| 2 |
YA F Duble Kathleen |
MY |
In at MY (McClay) |
|
|
| Noah's uncle is a member of the "Phantoms," an elite group of military skiers training for assault against the Germans in the Italian Alps in 1944. Noah joins up, giving readers a you-are-there close-up of the action. Everything is forthrightly told--from plot to characterization to emotions--and the details of training are pitched just right for reluctant readers. Copyright 2011 Horn Book Guide Reviews. | | | |
| His parents dead of smallpox, Noah is sent from Texas to his only relative, his uncle James Shelley, who is a member of the "Phantoms," an elite group of military skiers training in the Colorado Rockies for an eventual assault against the Germans in the Italian Alps in 1944. The Phantoms, their rugged training methods, and their triumph in Italy are all historical fact; Noah is a fictional fifteen-year-old who joins up (he lies about his age) to give readers a you-are-there close-up of the action. While the dialogue and story have the gruff sentimentality and predictability of a John Wayne war movie, it is precisely these qualities that will attract reluctant readers: everything is forthrightly told, from plot to characterization to emotions. The details of training (skiing, rock-climbing, deploying grenades to prevent avalanches) are pitched just right, as are the band-of-brothers moments of sacrifice and heroism. The realistic cover picture of Noah in Phantom gear with a rifle sling over his back should reach just the audience this book needs. roger sutton Copyright 2011 Horn Book Magazine Reviews. | | | |
In 1944, when his parents die of smallpox, 15-year-old Noah Garrett is sent to live with his uncle, James Shelley, at Camp Hale, Colo. Lying about his age, he enters the life of the soldiers, a winter warfare unit called the Phantoms, and learns to ski, rappel and handle himself in war games. Despite his pacifist past and his nagging conscience, Noah comes to like the camaraderie of the men and feels proud of his new skills, and at the same time the initially off-putting Shelley comes to appreciate Noah as the only family he has. Though a purposively inspirational scene stretches credulity when Noah, now a 16-year-old pacifist soldier, is put in charge of a mission in the mountains of Italy, Duble has created a likable character in Noah, whose struggles to find out who he is and where he belongs in a world at war are convincingly portrayed and realistically resolved. Details ranging from the development of nylon and penicillin to the Holocaust, Normandy and Italian resistance add depth to this fine historical novel. (author's note, references, acknowledgments)Â (Historical fiction. 11-15) Copyright Kirkus 2011 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. | | | |
| In this World War II historical novel, fifteen-year-old Noah has just lost both of his parents to smallpox and is sent to live with his uncle at Camp Hale in Colorado. Noah has reservations about living with an uncle he's never met. Meeting Shelley only solidifies his fears as the abrasive, hard-partying soldier embodies everything that Noah abhors. However, Shelley is no ordinary soldier. Noah soon discovers that his well-respected uncle is able to blend in with the snow and trek great distances. As Noah struggles to overcome his grief for his parents, he gains a new understanding of war and respect for soldiers. Noah's journey to self-discovery continues as he enlists as a Phantom himself and is sent to Italy to fight the Germans. I enjoyed the author's vivid descriptions of the skiing soldiers and camp life in general. The characters were memorable, especially Shelley, whose larger-than-life personality kept me entertained. Sandi Jones, Library Media Specialist, Augusta (Arkansas) High School. RECOMMENDED ¬ 2011 Linworth Publishing, Inc. | | | |
Gr 7–10—During World War II, the Tenth Mountain Division, also known as the Phantoms, specialized in skiing and winter warfare and were instrumental in fighting the German army in the Alps. After the passing of his pacifist parents, 15-year-old Noah Garrett is sent to live with his only remaining relative—an uncle who is a member of the Tenth Mountain Division training for war at Camp Hale, CO. Because he has nowhere else to go, Noah lies about his age so he can stay on the base and train as a soldier despite his upbringing. The description of military training is brief but interesting and the camaraderie among the soldiers is deftly captured. As his division prepares for war, Noah is divided between the principles with which he was raised and the knowledge of the atrocities being committed in Europe. It is not until the Phantoms are deployed to Italy and he fires his first shot that he can decide where he stands. Noah's ambivalence is understandable but his lack of determination and decisive action keeps him from being a compelling character. However, collections in need of historical fiction about the war with only mild violence and killing will find their needs met here.—Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA [Page 172]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. | | | |
| This historical fiction novel takes place within the horrors and unexpected humanity of WWII. Soldiers who ski their way up to the highest slopes while risking their lives for their country are known as Phantom fighters. This is the skiing branch of the United States Army. Noah Garrett, a fifteen year old, suddenly becomes orphaned when his parents die from sickness, so a neighbor and clergyman decide his future. He is shipped from his familiar, rural surroundings outside Austin, Texas, to the snowy slopes of Camp Hale in Colorado. There, an estranged uncle, James Shelley, claims Noah as newfound family. The only problem is Noah finds him gruff and cold, much unlike his mother, Shelley's sister. The pressure is on for Noah to make some life decisions, quickly. This is because he falsifies his age as sixteen in order to train as a soldier. If Noah does not train, he could be sent back to become a ward of the state. At least here he is becoming part of a fun-loving family of quirky comrades Camp Hale is where Noah begins rigorous training as a soldier. His trainers seem tough and heartless, but whenever he groans and complains of their harsh methods, they ask if the enemy will be more sympathetic. If Noah can succeed, he will soon have to confront the German enemy troops within the highest peaks of Italy. The author researched this piece so beautifully that this reviewer's heart pounded away with every page.—Sharon Blumberg 5Q 2P J Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews. | | |
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