D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History

Gr 7 Up—Hopkinson has compiled a comprehensive and absorbing overview of the largest military operation in history: the Allied invasion of Normandy, on June 6, 1944. The author describes the thoughts and feelings of individual soldiers and paratroopers, the extensive planning by the leaders, the horrific battles on various beaches, the work of reporters and photographers (Ernie Pyle and Robert Capa, respectively), as well as segregation and the effect it had on the military. Lengthy quotations by those who experienced the invasion add depth to the content. The text is accompanied by an abundance of half- and full-page black-and-white photos and sidebars, called briefings or dispatches here, that are one to four pages long. However, the captions are probably the weakest part of this title; many don't provide enough information. For example, one image of smiling soldiers lacks context ("Troops headed across the English Channel."). Still, frequent "Look, Listen, Remember" boxes lead readers to various websites for additional information. The back matter is extremely thorough and contains a list of the key figures and more online resources.