"The juxtaposition of youth and war haunts me. They say war isn't an appropriate subject for young people, and you know what? I agree. But war doesn't care. That's why I decided to put this book together." -Jennifer Armstrong

Shattered is a thoughtful and moving look at an all too timely topic: war. Editor Jennifer Armstrong has compiled a wide variety of short stories about the wartime experiences of children. A young Palestinian daughter flees to Jordan with her family during the Six-Day War in 1967. A young girl nicknamed Jacket helps hide her best friend's older brother when he is a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Lewis Bowman, a young Mohawk, fights with the Union army during the American Civil War. Zack struggles with his American background during a 1992 "golpe de estado" in Latin America. A family of children faces the devastating effects of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Two children struggle to find safety in Israel after surviving Auschwitz.

This book treats children's experiences with respect. Many of the authors speak from their own memories, and those authors writing fiction capture the intensity, the vulnerability, and the strength of childhood. I have to admit that at first the titled worried me. It is very easy to reduce children to their worst experiences and to neglect other aspects of their human identities so that their suffering is easier for others to process. However, this book's articulation of the perspective of children is honest, and for the most part it succeeds in being authentic. It is moving and, as it should be, troubling.

Given the reality of conflict that we currently face, it is vital to remember the devastation of war, and the destruction of life that is left in its wake. Children are not safeguarded from that violence. Armstrong has succeeded in creating a diverse, compassionate, and important look at children and war.

Shattered Review

Rating: 5/5

Right now, war is one of the biggest issues in the U.S. It's preety much the only thing we hear about the news. However, whether or not we realize this, we are not the only ones that are affected by war. Millions of children have been killed during wars, or have suffered either from injuries or loss of family, and are now orphans. Jennifer Armstrong talks about these issues and also gives examples of such events occuring in many of the different wars that have occured. In some instances chidren hate the war, and in some they like it. Examine the different outcomes and ways that war has effected children's lived in "Shattered:Storied of children and war."

Compelling, important, recommended for young readers.

Rating: 5/5

Short stories by M.E. Kerr, Gloria Miklowitz, Marilyn Singer and others center around the theme of children and war, delivering powerful messages of how war affects families, friends, and childhood. From an Afghan girl whose home is slowly destroyed by the Soviets to the children of a Vietnam vet, this covers a wide range of cultural experiences and scenarios of war.