Synopses & Reviews
An Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Title
A VOYA Nonfiction Honor List Selection
Noor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France and transferred crucial messages. Johtje Vos, a Dutch housewife, hid Jews in her home and repeatedly outsmarted the Gestapo. Law student Hannie Schaft became involved in the most dangerous resistance work--sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations. In these pages, young readers will meet these and many other similarly courageous women and girls who risked their lives to help defeat the Nazis.
Twenty-six engaging and suspense-filled stories unfold from across Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States, providing an inspiring reminder of women and girls refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history.
An overview of World War II and summaries of each countrys entrance and involvement in the war provide a framework for better understanding each womans unique circumstances, and resources for further learning follow each profile. Women Heroes of World War II is an invaluable addition to any students or history buffs bookshelf.
Review
"A well-written collection." —World War II Magazine
Review
“Each story has been meticulously researched. . . . This is a great read for students who like adventure or are researching World War II.” —VOYA, Voices of Youth Advocate reviews
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“Inspiring accounts of the lives of women—some of them still in their teens—whose courage made a difference in the dark days of World War II.” —Rita Kramer, author of Flames in the Field: The Story of Four SOE Agents in Occupied France
Review
"Those in Women Heroes of World War II surely played a major role in turning the tide of the war in the Allies favor. Kathryn Atwoods book will be a wonderful inspiration to girls and women."
—Judith Pearson, author of The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of Americas Greatest Female Spy
Review
“Atwoods admiration and enthusiasm for her subjects is apparent in these engaging profiles, and readers will likely be inspired to investigate these fascinating women further.” —Kirkus Reviews
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"[Women Heroes of World War II] tells the compelling story of volunteering and humanitarianism in a world focused mainly on the heroism of men."—MetroKids
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“These stories will restore your faith in the human spirit and encourage us all to remember to do what is right. . . . [A] must read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: ‘What can I do? Can one person really make a difference?” —Kenneth Koskodan, author of No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Polands Forces in World War II
Review
“Adds a vital dimension to more traditional titles on the war. It will appeal to browsers seeking adventure tales while also enriching classes in history and womens studies, and units on war and peace...Recommended” —Library Media Connection
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"A fine survey of major events in WWI and a case study in the types of social changes that often occur because of war, this book is an ideal candidate for both research and recreational reading." —
Booklist “Atwoods writing brings vivacity to the inspirational contributions made by women in the First World War. Their strength and independence in mind and body should make people today believe that anything is possible.” —Lucy Moore, project curator, World War I at Leeds Museums
"Author Kathryn J. Atwood tells the stories using engaging narrative and dialogue, and utilizes quotes from historical documents and personal diaries. She has done a great job of providing enough information to satisfy a history buff while writing in a style that will satisfy anyone who likes to read a good story." —TeenReads.com
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"The fast-paced narratives recounts the suspense-filled stories of these exceptional women." —The Nonfiction Detectives
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"With interesting sidebars explaining important details in the stories, such as the use of poison gases in warfare or the popularity of the song "Over There," and with a generous use of photographs, Women Heroes of World War I is a good introduction to the war that started 100 years ago for readers of any age. It is also a helpful addition to the literature of women's studies. Look for it to be popular in school and public libraries." —RickLibrarian.com
Review
"In sharing these stories, Atwood has done the women featured a great service—letting their lessons in courage live on a century later. She also has done her reader a great service—reminding them that nothing, and particularly not gender, need stand in the way of courage." —Chicago Review of Books
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"In short, Atwoods book is a reflection of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, and deserves its place on the bookshelf of anyone who is truly interested in the history not only of World War I, but also of womankind itself." —Bookpleasures.com
Review
“No word, picture, or sidebar is wasted in this collection of elegant, accessible biographies, which together form a coherent history of a too-long neglected window on World War I.” —Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of Code Name Verity
Synopsis
Bringing to life such courageous women as Noor Inayat Khan, a radio operator who parachuted into occupied France and transferred crucial messages; Johtje Vos, the Dutch housewife who hid Jews in her home and was repeatedly interrogated by the Gestapo; and Hannie Schaft, a Dutch law student who became involved in the most dangerous resistance worksabotage, weapons transference, and assassinationsthese 26 profiles provide refreshing images of women as war heroes. The engaging and suspense-filled stories of brave girls and women from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States are told through the use of dialogue, direct quotes, and document excerpts to lend authenticity and immediacy. Introductory material opens each section to provide solid historical context, and each profile includes informative sidebars and Learn More” lists of relevant books, Web sites, films, and more, making this a fabulous resource for students, teachers, parents, libraries, and homeschoolers.
Synopsis
A 2012 VOYANonfiction Honor List selectionNoor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France and transferred crucial messages. Johtje Vos, a Dutch housewife, hid Jews in her home and repeatedly outsmarted the Gestapo. Law student Hannie Schaft became involved in the most dangerous resistance work--sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations. In these pages, young readers will meet these and many other similarly courageous women and girls who risked their lives to help defeat the Nazis.
Twenty-six engaging and suspense-filled stories unfold from across Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States, providing an inspiring reminder of women and girls refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history.
An overview of World War II and summaries of each country s entrance and involvement in the war provide a framework for better understanding each woman s unique circumstances, and resources for further learning follow each profile. Women Heroes of World War II is an invaluable addition to any student s or history buff s bookshelf."
Synopsis
- A 2012 VOYA Nonfiction Honor List selection
- 2012 Selection for the Amelia Bloomer Project
Noor Inayat Khan was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France and transferred crucial messages. Johtje Vos, a Dutch housewife, hid Jews in her home and repeatedly outsmarted the Gestapo. Law student Hannie Schaft became involved in the most dangerous resistance work--sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations. In these pages, young readers will meet these and many other similarly courageous women and girls who risked their lives to help defeat the Nazis.
Twenty-six engaging and suspense-filled stories unfold from across Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the United States, providing an inspiring reminder of women and girls' refusal to sit on the sidelines around the world and throughout history.
An overview of World War II and summaries of each country's entrance and involvement in the war provide a framework for better understanding each woman's unique circumstances, and resources for further learning follow each profile. Women Heroes of World War II is an invaluable addition to any student's or history buff's bookshelf.
Synopsis
Pearl Witherington Cornioley, one of the most celebrated female World War II resistance fighters, shares her remarkable story in this firsthand account of her experience as a special agent for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Told through a series of reminiscences—from a difficult childhood spent in the shadow of World War I and her family’s harrowing escape from France as the Germans approached in 1940 to her recruitment and training as a special agent and the logistics of parachuting into a remote rural area of occupied France and hiding in a wheat field from enemy fire—each chapter also includes helpful opening remarks to provide context and background on the SOE and the French Resistance. With an annotated list of key figures, an appendix of original unedited interview extracts—including Pearl’s fiancé Henri’s story—and fascinating photographs and documents from Pearl’s personal collection, this memoir will captivate World War II buffs of any age.
Synopsis
A commemoration of brave yet largely forgotten women who served in the First World War
In time for the 2014 centennial of the start of the Great War, this book brings to life the brave and often surprising exploits of 16 fascinating women from around the world who served their countries at a time when most of them didnt even have the right to vote. Readers meet 17-year-old Frenchwoman Emilienne Moreau, who assisted the Allies as a guide and set up a first-aid post in her home to attend to the wounded; Russian peasant Maria Bochkareva, who joined the Imperial Russian Army by securing the personal permission of Tsar Nicholas II, was twice wounded in battle and decorated for bravery, and created and led the all-women combat unit the “Womens Battalion of Death” on the eastern front; and American journalist Madeleine Zabriskie Doty, who risked her life to travel twice to Germany during the war in order to report back the truth, whatever the cost. These and other suspense-filled stories of brave girls and women are told through the use of engaging narrative, dialogue, direct quotes, and document and diary excerpts to lend authenticity and immediacy. Introductory material opens each section to provide solid historical context, and each profile includes informative sidebars and “Learn More” lists of relevant books and websites, making this a fabulous resource for students, teachers, parents, libraries, and homeschoolers.
Synopsis
An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
There was a full moon on the evening of September 22, 1943, when Pearl Witherington, age 29, parachuted into France to aid the French Resistance as a special agent for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). Out of the 400 agents sent to France during the German occupation, 39 were women. Pearl, whom the SOE called “cool and resourceful and extremely determined” and “the best shot, male or female, we have yet had,” became one of the most celebrated female World War II resistance fighters.
In Code Name Pauline Pearl describes in a series of plainspoken reminiscences her difficult childhood and harrowing escape from France in 1940; her recruitment and training as a special agent; the logistics and dangers of posing as a cosmetics saleswoman to make her way around the country as an undercover courier; and both failed and successful attempts at sabotaging the Nazis. She tells how, when the leader of her network was caught by the Gestapo, she became “Pauline” and rose to command a 3,500-strong band of French Resistance fighters.
With an annotated list of key figures, an appendix of original unedited interview extracts—including Pearl’s husband Henri’s story—and never-before-published photographs from Pearl’s personal collection, Code Name Pauline will captivate World War II buffs of any age and, just as Pearl wished, inspire young people.
About the Author
Pearl Witherington Cornioley joined the Special Operations Executive in 1943 and worked with the French Resistance as an undercover courier and later, under the code name “Pauline,” as a network leader of 3,500 men. She was instrumental in the carrying out of numerous acts of sabotage during World War II. Kathryn J. Atwood is the author of Women Heroes of World War I and Women Heroes of World War II. She has contributed to Midwest Book Review; BookPleasures.com; PopMatters.com; and War, Literature, and the Arts. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago.