Sheryl O. (Everett-Reader) reviewed The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) on + 216 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent chapter book for young readers. The recommended age is 12+, but my kids enjoyed this series of books a bit younger then that - mroe like 10 and up. This one is the tale of a young soldier on Omaha beach.
ANNOTATION
A seventeen-year-old soldier from central Virginia records his experiences in a journal as his regiment takes part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and subsequent battles to liberate France.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Each harrowing day of battle in France convinces seventeen-year-old Scott Pendleton Collins that he may not survive. In desperation, he records his thoughts, fears, and hopes in a journal he has carried since his first days as a soldier in Basic Training at Fort Dix.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-When Private Scott Collins's journal begins, he is preparing, along with thousands of other young men, for D-Day, less than five weeks away. When it ends, Scott, now 18, is again waiting to cross the English Channel; he has been wounded in France and has been promoted to sergeant-not simply because he is a good soldier, but also because he has proven to be a "survivor," when so many others have been killed. Readers observe Scott lose both his belief that the Allied invasion will end the war quickly and his innocence-he has seen hundreds die, some by his own hand. While no more graphic than the subject demands, this brief novel presents an accurate depiction of the horror of battle. The narrative voice is engaging and believable, with only a few lapses that sound like explanations provided for today's readers. Scott emerges as a likable and realistic character, one who grows from youth to manhood in a matter of weeks. Young teens who appreciated Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line ought to be moved and drawn to the Journal as well. A short epilogue gives thumbnail sketches of the major players' lives after wartime, and a photographic gallery helps set and expand the historical situation.-Coop Renner, Coldwell Elementary-Intermediate School, El Paso, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In the My Name Is America series, Myers (Monster, p. 725, etc.) writes of Scott Collins, who, on June 6, 1944, has no idea what awaits him on Omaha Beach. Within minutes after hitting the beach, Collins changes from a naive high school graduate who'd like to marry Ann Miller to a bewildered young man facing the strong probability that he won't live to see his 18th birthday. Scott's daily struggle and courage contrast with his memories of home; an affecting touch is the inclusion of Scott's thoroughly ordinary life after he returns to his small Virginia town. Although the diary and Collins are fictional, Myers conceals his inventions with utterly convincing writing; this volume would work well as a companion to Cynthia Rylant's I Had Seen Castles (1993). (Fiction. 12+)
ANNOTATION
A seventeen-year-old soldier from central Virginia records his experiences in a journal as his regiment takes part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and subsequent battles to liberate France.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Each harrowing day of battle in France convinces seventeen-year-old Scott Pendleton Collins that he may not survive. In desperation, he records his thoughts, fears, and hopes in a journal he has carried since his first days as a soldier in Basic Training at Fort Dix.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-When Private Scott Collins's journal begins, he is preparing, along with thousands of other young men, for D-Day, less than five weeks away. When it ends, Scott, now 18, is again waiting to cross the English Channel; he has been wounded in France and has been promoted to sergeant-not simply because he is a good soldier, but also because he has proven to be a "survivor," when so many others have been killed. Readers observe Scott lose both his belief that the Allied invasion will end the war quickly and his innocence-he has seen hundreds die, some by his own hand. While no more graphic than the subject demands, this brief novel presents an accurate depiction of the horror of battle. The narrative voice is engaging and believable, with only a few lapses that sound like explanations provided for today's readers. Scott emerges as a likable and realistic character, one who grows from youth to manhood in a matter of weeks. Young teens who appreciated Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line ought to be moved and drawn to the Journal as well. A short epilogue gives thumbnail sketches of the major players' lives after wartime, and a photographic gallery helps set and expand the historical situation.-Coop Renner, Coldwell Elementary-Intermediate School, El Paso, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In the My Name Is America series, Myers (Monster, p. 725, etc.) writes of Scott Collins, who, on June 6, 1944, has no idea what awaits him on Omaha Beach. Within minutes after hitting the beach, Collins changes from a naive high school graduate who'd like to marry Ann Miller to a bewildered young man facing the strong probability that he won't live to see his 18th birthday. Scott's daily struggle and courage contrast with his memories of home; an affecting touch is the inclusion of Scott's thoroughly ordinary life after he returns to his small Virginia town. Although the diary and Collins are fictional, Myers conceals his inventions with utterly convincing writing; this volume would work well as a companion to Cynthia Rylant's I Had Seen Castles (1993). (Fiction. 12+)
Wendy S. (wss4) reviewed The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) on + 389 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-When Private Scott Collins's journal begins, he is preparing, along with thousands of other young men, for D-Day, less than five weeks away. When it ends, Scott, now 18, is again waiting to cross the English Channel; he has been wounded in France and has been promoted to sergeant-not simply because he is a good soldier, but also because he has proven to be a "survivor," when so many others have been killed. Readers observe Scott lose both his belief that the Allied invasion will end the war quickly and his innocence-he has seen hundreds die, some by his own hand. While no more graphic than the subject demands, this brief novel presents an accurate depiction of the horror of battle. The narrative voice is engaging and believable, with only a few lapses that sound like explanations provided for today's readers. Scott emerges as a likable and realistic character, one who grows from youth to manhood in a matter of weeks. Young teens who appreciated Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line ought to be moved and drawn to the Journal as well. A short epilogue gives thumbnail sketches of the major players' lives after wartime, and a photographic gallery helps set and expand the historical situation.
~~~~~
My 12 year old daughter read this and enjoyed it. She loves the 'My Name is America' books.
Gr 7-10-When Private Scott Collins's journal begins, he is preparing, along with thousands of other young men, for D-Day, less than five weeks away. When it ends, Scott, now 18, is again waiting to cross the English Channel; he has been wounded in France and has been promoted to sergeant-not simply because he is a good soldier, but also because he has proven to be a "survivor," when so many others have been killed. Readers observe Scott lose both his belief that the Allied invasion will end the war quickly and his innocence-he has seen hundreds die, some by his own hand. While no more graphic than the subject demands, this brief novel presents an accurate depiction of the horror of battle. The narrative voice is engaging and believable, with only a few lapses that sound like explanations provided for today's readers. Scott emerges as a likable and realistic character, one who grows from youth to manhood in a matter of weeks. Young teens who appreciated Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line ought to be moved and drawn to the Journal as well. A short epilogue gives thumbnail sketches of the major players' lives after wartime, and a photographic gallery helps set and expand the historical situation.
~~~~~
My 12 year old daughter read this and enjoyed it. She loves the 'My Name is America' books.
Glenda W. (MagicWord) reviewed The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) on + 53 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An excellent series from Scholastic. My son, a reluctant reader, loved this book. It makes history come alive.
Anna H. (anna777) -
Helpful Score: 1
I have been generally surprised at how fairly good the Dear America and Royal Diaries have been. I was disappointed with this, one of my first My Name is America books.
I was disappointed as a parent that this book mentions in passing a rumor that certain girls "are easy". I didn't like it because of this. Not what I want my son reading about. I felt the blood and shooting were portrayed in a reasonable way considering the subject matter of the book and the rest of the book was fairly decent.
I was highly disappointed that the author felt it necessary to say certain girls "were easy" in passing as a rumor and that it was mentioned/ referred to again later on.
I was disappointed as a parent that this book mentions in passing a rumor that certain girls "are easy". I didn't like it because of this. Not what I want my son reading about. I felt the blood and shooting were portrayed in a reasonable way considering the subject matter of the book and the rest of the book was fairly decent.
I was highly disappointed that the author felt it necessary to say certain girls "were easy" in passing as a rumor and that it was mentioned/ referred to again later on.
Kathryn H. (momtothreeboys) reviewed The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) on + 39 more book reviews
Really gives you a taste for what WWII was like! My son loved it!
Catherine B. reviewed The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (My Name is America: A Dear America Book) on + 34 more book reviews
Very good Dear America for students interested in war history.
Connie A. (jazzysmom) -
This is my first "Dear America" read. I cried...then about halfway through the book i found out how old Scott Pendleton was when he wrote this, i bawled my head off for him. I knew the boys were young when they went to France, my father was fighing this war also, but it never dawned on me what so young of a man went through as my father never really talked about it much until his later years. I had sort of avoided the "Dear America" reads as i thought they might be just for 9-12. But i am well over that (way over that actually) and gosh i devoured this book. Sure beats the make believe stuff they offered us when i was 9-12. I guess they thought back then we could not handle life unless it was like Ozzie & Harriet. After reading this i believe this should be in all school libraries and any age will enjoy. This is what real life was like for many.
