Praise for Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific:
* "Hopkinson crafts a gripping narrative... Fascinating World War II history for history buffs and browsers alike." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Readers wait anxiously alongside crew members amid silence and dangerous heat and oxygen levels as the submariners narrowly escape enemy detection or brace for depth charge explosions that rattle bones, fray nerves, and signal possible death....With a fascinating blend of submarine mechanics and tales of courage, readers will dive in deep." -- Booklist, starred review
* "It's an appealing, engrossing package for readers fascinated by heroism and military strategy." -- The Horn Book, starred review
"The real appeal, of course, is danger and heroism, and in drawing liberally from first-person accounts by surviving veterans, Hopkinson often emulates the tone of Greatest Generation memoir.... And kudos to Hopkinson, whose eagle eye even located the contingent of women nurses evacuated by sub from the Philippines." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A riveting narrative nonfiction selection for middle school collections." -- School Library Journal
"The diverse individual stories... make the history come alive." -- School Library Connection
Praise for Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark:
A Sydney Taylor Notable Book
An NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
A Cybils Award Finalist
"With numerous pictures and illustrations accompanying the text, this is a fascinating look at a little-known corner of WWII." -- Publishers Weekly
"[A] spirited, inspiring, and extremely well-researched book... ideal for both classroom use and independent reading." -- Booklist
Praise for Titanic: Voices from the Disaster:
A Sibert Honor Book
A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
An ALA Notable Children's Book
An IRA Teacher's Choice
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Cybils Award Finalist
"An affecting portrait of human ambition, folly and almost unbearable nobility in the face of death." -- The Wall Street Journal
"A meticulous recounting of the disaster... Hopkinson's reporting is so rich with information that it will be equally fascinating to young readers and adults alike." -- Los Angeles Times
*"Hopkinson knows precisely what's she doing in her coverage of the Titanic disaster... [A] fine book." -- The Horn Book, starred review
*"Fascinating... A thorough and absorbing re-creation of the ill-fated voyage." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
*"Riveting." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"An absorbing and richly satisfying read." -- School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Up Before Daybreak:
*"Rarely have the links between northern industry, southern agriculture, slavery, war, child labor, and poverty been so skillfully distilled for this audience." -- Booklist, starred review
*"Superb nonfiction writing." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
*"Excellent." -- School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Shutting Out the Sky:
*"Nonfiction at its best." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
*"[A] fascinating read." --School Library Journal, starred review
06/01/2016
Gr 6–8—In this broad and insightful look at a less commonly examined aspect of the Pacific War, the narrative comes alive through looks at individual sailors and commanders and their particular contributions to larger events. An account of the USS Wahoo's stealth entry into Wewak Harbor on New Guinea, using a map found in a high school geography textbook, and its successful sinking of a Japanese destroyer is as gripping as any thriller. Hopkinson makes a point of noting the presence of women (nurses evacuated from Corregidor) and African Americans, who were limited in their formal duties but pushed by the realities of war into key roles in submarines. Readers are always aware of the intensity of submarine warfare and the massive human toll. One chapter closes with a poignant unsent letter from a wife to her husband lost in battle. Sidebars complement the narrative with, for example, a colorful description of an officer's effort to have an ice-cream maker installed in his sub, a description of how subs dive, and recommendations for visits to websites and naval museums. Specialized terminology is occasionally distracting, but Hopkinson does an ample job defining terms in context. The book concludes with an expansive "After Section," which includes source citations for individual quotations, a lengthy bibliography, an annotated list of online resources, and lists of facts and figures. Many contemporaneous photographs depict the actual sailors and vessels discussed in the text. VERDICT A riveting narrative nonfiction selection for middle school collections.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA
★ 2016-06-22
Hopkinson's writing plumbs the depths in relating the undersea exploits of American submariners during World War II. "The U.S. Navy fought the Pacific Ocean phase of World War II on a liquid chessboard," according to Adm. Bernard A. Clarey, and while sailors and battleships island-hopped across the Pacific, the "Silent Service" of gallant submariners lurked below the surface, facing what naval historian Theodore Roscoe called "the overwhelming forces of the Unknown." With an emphasis on first-person accounts—such as that of 15-year-old Martin Matthews, a young white man who lied about his age and joined the Navy just in time to be on the Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor—Hopkinson crafts a gripping narrative. It's supplemented with three types of interspersed text: "briefings" with information about the war (including a section on African-American submariners), "dispatches" offering stories of interest and first-person accounts, and "submarine school," about submarines and submariners. Numerous dramatic black-and-white photographs offer a parallel visual story. Told chronologically, from Pearl Harbor through the end of the war, with frequent news reports from above the surface, such as engrossing accounts of Bataan and Corregidor, the fascinating volume serves as a solid history of the war in the Pacific. Extensive backmatter includes a glossary, a timeline, facts and statistics about submarines, and links to resources. Fascinating World War II history for history buffs and browsers alike. (epilogue, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 8-14)
