They battled in blizzards

Gr 5--8--The Battle of the Bulge, raging for six frigid weeks starting in mid-December 1944, is the largest battle ever fought by U.S. forces, involving more than 600,000 American soldiers and resulting in 80,000 casualties and nearly 20,000 deaths. Hopkinson tells the story from the perspectives of soldiers who participated: a reconnaissance officer who had signed up for paid National Guard summer camp at age 14 to help his family and found himself a 20-year-old first lieutenant facing heavy combat; and a Russian Jewish refugee from Germany who fled to New York with his family, was drafted two years later, and subsequently became a well-known literary historian. Numerous contemporary photos and artwork created by battle participants break up the text and underscore elements of the narrative. Sidebars highlight complementary stories, such as that of the 761st Tank Battalion, America's first all-Black combat unit. Following a photo scrapbook of the siege of a Belgian town, the text concludes with an abundance of back matter, including a selected time line of the war, a list of resources and links, such as websites for museums and online exhibitions, oral histories from the U.S. National World War Two Museum, a selected bibliography, and detailed source notes. Regrettably, a profusion of front matter and the diffuse narrative, shifting frequently among points of view, detract from engagement with what should be a gripping story. VERDICT A recommended purchase that will require handselling to find the right reader.--Bob Hassett

A soldier's-eye view of the snowy Battle of the Bulge--"the largest single battle ever fought by the U.S. Army." Sticking entirely to the Allied side (but consulting a great range of reports and oral histories), Hopkinson presents a kaleidoscopic view of the immense conflict, which stretched out over six weeks beginning in December of 1944 and involved (on both sides) over 1,000,000 soldiers. Voluminous backmatter joins sheaves of battlefield photos and drawings and a few schematic maps and general comments to provide glimpses of the big picture, but rather than attempting to tell the full story, her goal is to "share the true stories of just a few soldiers who were there." This emphasis on localized, personal stories brings two main themes into sharp focus: the fog of confusion and uncertainty as unready GIs suddenly found themselves facing (and sometimes surrounded by) massive numbers of German troops and tanks, and the courage, cohesion, and optimistic spirit that fueled the eventual Allied victory. The veteran, much-lauded author of nonfiction and historical fiction draws various kinds of servicepeople (including women, immigrants, and Black people) into her large cast of eyewitnesses and participants; some she follows all the way to the ends of their (often long) lives, reinforcing the personal angle and providing a valuable complement to traditional military and political histories. A thoroughly researched, unusually close-to-the-ground glimpse into one of World War II's most notoriously brutal battles. (timeline, resources and links, bibliography, source notes, photo and illustration credits, index)(Nonfiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.