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krissysquid's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thebooknerdscorner's review against another edition
4.0
A middle grade novel told in verse about a girl who dreams of being a nurse. . . and the German boy that invades her family's orchard.
It's 1944 and Claire's brother Danny is across the sea fighting against the Nazis. So when a troop of German POWs arrive to help out around Claire's family orchard, she is beyond annoyed. She wants nothing to do with the enemies within her orchard, but her father assigns her to work with a young boy by the name of Karl. Working alongside him, Claire begins to realize that Karl is more humane than she every could have imagined and that she might even like him. Meanwhile, Karl begins to question everything that has been drilled into him as one of Hitler's youth. Both teens have to grapple with the decisions of their past and the possibilities of their futures as the war continues to wage across the ocean.
I really liked the poetry in this one. I felt that Claire and Karl both had distinct voices and it was super easy to follow their story lines. I appreciate how Claire's poems were left aligned and how Karl's were right aligned, also. I felt that these poems were packed with emotion, and I felt myself tearing up towards the end.
One of the things I found really cool about this story is how much of it was based in history. It is true that neither Claire nor Karl is real, but there were many people that went through similar circumstances during World War II. I've never read a book that dove into POWs working on farms to replace boys who were serving in the war. It makes sense that this was done, but I've never come across this before. The fact that VanderLugt also spent a bunch of her childhood at her grandfather's orchard also really helped breath life into the setting as well as the character's thoughts toward the trees.
The emotional turmoil that Claire and Karl both have to bear is what really makes this story tick. They both have to come to terms with the fact that everything they've heard about their enemies isn't explicitly true. These things take time, of course, and I enjoyed watching their growth throughout this tale.
Overall, I found "Enemies in the Orchard" to be an easy, enjoyable read. I got a glimpse of an experience during World War II that I've never witnessed before, and learned a bit more about a side of American history that I didn't know. The poetry was nice, the emotions felt real, and I was never bored. I would totally recommend to readers interested in a different type of WWII book or those who appreciate heartfelt poetry.
It's 1944 and Claire's brother Danny is across the sea fighting against the Nazis. So when a troop of German POWs arrive to help out around Claire's family orchard, she is beyond annoyed. She wants nothing to do with the enemies within her orchard, but her father assigns her to work with a young boy by the name of Karl. Working alongside him, Claire begins to realize that Karl is more humane than she every could have imagined and that she might even like him. Meanwhile, Karl begins to question everything that has been drilled into him as one of Hitler's youth. Both teens have to grapple with the decisions of their past and the possibilities of their futures as the war continues to wage across the ocean.
I really liked the poetry in this one. I felt that Claire and Karl both had distinct voices and it was super easy to follow their story lines. I appreciate how Claire's poems were left aligned and how Karl's were right aligned, also. I felt that these poems were packed with emotion, and I felt myself tearing up towards the end.
One of the things I found really cool about this story is how much of it was based in history. It is true that neither Claire nor Karl is real, but there were many people that went through similar circumstances during World War II. I've never read a book that dove into POWs working on farms to replace boys who were serving in the war. It makes sense that this was done, but I've never come across this before. The fact that VanderLugt also spent a bunch of her childhood at her grandfather's orchard also really helped breath life into the setting as well as the character's thoughts toward the trees.
The emotional turmoil that Claire and Karl both have to bear is what really makes this story tick. They both have to come to terms with the fact that everything they've heard about their enemies isn't explicitly true. These things take time, of course, and I enjoyed watching their growth throughout this tale.
Overall, I found "Enemies in the Orchard" to be an easy, enjoyable read. I got a glimpse of an experience during World War II that I've never witnessed before, and learned a bit more about a side of American history that I didn't know. The poetry was nice, the emotions felt real, and I was never bored. I would totally recommend to readers interested in a different type of WWII book or those who appreciate heartfelt poetry.
ipushbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
heidi_may91's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This MG historical novel-in-verse tells a story of World War II that’s usually overlooked. The author based the circumstances (if not the story’s detailed events) on POWs who worked on her own family’s orchard in order to help fill in for American soldiers who had been sent off to war. The book is told from two POVs: Claire, a girl whose family owns the orchard, and Karl, a young German POW who works on the orchard. Both Claire and Karl have to face questions about what it means to be faced with someone you’ve been taught to hate. Claire doesn’t want to see humanity in the German soldiers, especially since her own brother is oversees fighting against them. And Karl questions his own country’s propoganda and the lies he’s been told about America, the Jewish people, and more. The book presents a nuanced portrayal of humanity without romanticizing the German soldier too much, a fine line that’s hard to walk on. I learned something new about history from this book, and I read a compelling story too!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This MG historical novel-in-verse tells a story of World War II that’s usually overlooked. The author based the circumstances (if not the story’s detailed events) on POWs who worked on her own family’s orchard in order to help fill in for American soldiers who had been sent off to war. The book is told from two POVs: Claire, a girl whose family owns the orchard, and Karl, a young German POW who works on the orchard. Both Claire and Karl have to face questions about what it means to be faced with someone you’ve been taught to hate. Claire doesn’t want to see humanity in the German soldiers, especially since her own brother is oversees fighting against them. And Karl questions his own country’s propoganda and the lies he’s been told about America, the Jewish people, and more. The book presents a nuanced portrayal of humanity without romanticizing the German soldier too much, a fine line that’s hard to walk on. I learned something new about history from this book, and I read a compelling story too!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss for review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
dana_delaine's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
faith_fully_reading's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
iamjoymoy's review
5.0
I didn't even get a chance to take a photo before one kiddo took this book from the stack and read the whole thing in one sitting. The teen says it's a complicated book. The story is told to us in two perspectives. There's an American girl on a farm. It's during World War 2. A young boy soldier is in America because he knows a little English. He was caught and made to work on the farm. They became friends. And the teen won't tell us the ending. It's really, really good though. You'll have to read the book. You see the picture below that the book is written in a slightly different way than usual.
mikbisson's review
4.5
This was a great perspective on German POWs, a topic I’d never considered before.