A Look at Books

(From our April 2025 Issue)

Rachel Martin
Pikes Peak Library District

Thank you to all the military families stationed here and abroad! Our communities appreciate your sacrifices and support in serving and protecting. Here are a few new military titles to check out at your Library.

Purple Up! We Salute Our Friends by Sarah Scheerger celebrates children of military families and their sacrifices such as frequent moving, leaving close relationships, saying goodbye to their family members who serve, and so much more. With vibrant illustrations and rhyming text, it promotes compassion and resilience while raising awareness for Purple Up! Day, reminding military kids that their contributions matter. Ages 4 – 8.

Mary Wilkins Ellis's remarkable journey as a pioneering aviator is captured in Taking Off: Airborne with Mary Wilkins Ellis by Emily McCully. The book follows her path from earning her pilot's license at 16 to her outstanding feats and strength in overcoming cultural skepticism facing women pilots. Enhanced with watercolor illustrations and historical context, this stunning book inspires young readers with themes of perseverance, courage, and the pursuit of dreams. Ages 6 – 8.

Wolves at the Door Image Sisters Asta and Pieta escape the bombings of Königsberg and the advancing Red Army. Their journey to the Baltic Sea is filled with hunger and danger, culminating in the sinking of their evacuation ship. Orphaned, they join fellow survivor Gerhard on a perilous journey through war-torn landscapes as part of the Wolfskinder (wolf children). Wolves at the Door by Steve Watkins explores the horrors of war, the resilience of the human spirit, and the lasting effects of displacement and loss. Ages 8 – 10.

In Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz, 13-year-old Frank McCoy and his best friend, Stanley Summers, flee the chaos of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. As they dodge danger, Frank confronts his fears and witnesses the racism Stanley endures at a Japanese-American. Their passion for superheroes leads to the creation of a 10-page comic found in the epilogue. The novel explores themes of courage, prejudice, and friendship amid the horrors of war. Ages 10 – 12.

Hotel Oscar Mike Echo Image 11-year-old Sierra navigates her military mother's PTSD and struggles with homelessness in contemporary Richmond, Virginia. At a women's shelter, she finds kindness from the Goodwins that helps her redefine home amid poverty and resilience. Linda MacKillop's Hotel Oscar Mike Echo offers a compassionate portrayal of hardship and inspires hope and empathy, making it a meaningful read for older elementary students and adults. Ages 10 – 12.

Pearl: A Graphic Novel Image Sherri Smith's Pearl: A Graphic Novel follows 13-year-old Amy, a Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) from Hawaii, sent to care for her great-grandmother in Hiroshima just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Stranded in Japan, she navigates her dual identities while translating English radio transmissions, grappling with loyalty and belonging. With expansive, blue-toned illustrations and sparse dialogue, themes of survival, identity, and the human cost of war, this book present a haunting look at a lesser-known aspect of WWII. Ages 10 – 14.

Looking for related eBooks? Check out our extensive children’s and teen collections on Libby at libbyapp.com. Set audience filters in your Libby account by following the instructions found at ppld.org/elibrary and clicking the Libby Parental Control Information link under the Libby, by OverDrive section.