A stirring tribute to an unjustly overlooked group of heroes.
Nicholson chronicles the important but little-known alliance between the United States and Mexico during World War II
The neatly designed account is accessible and well-organized, telling the story in a chronological series of double-page spreads. Historic photographs throughout highlight the significant contributions to the war effort by these Mexican pilots and their hardworking ground crew as they protected U.S. troops in spite of the blatant discrimination they initially faced. Providing protective cover for U.S. Navy ships, Mexico’s Air Fighter Squadron 201 kept the ships safe from kamikaze pilots. The Aztec Eagles took out Japanese targets while flying very long range missions from Manila to Taiwan (700 miles). They were awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal for heroism and in recognition of the fact that during their 96 combat missions in the Philippines, no civilians or American military were injured or killed due to friendly fire. The highly decorated squadron “remains the only Mexican military force to see overseas combat.” Perhaps the greatest tribute to the Aztec Eagles was the school built in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico, at the request of one of the crew members, Ángel Bocanegra del Castillo. Inaugurated in 1945 by Mexican President Ávila Camacho and the entire squadron, the school’s classrooms are still filled by children who will always be grateful to the men of “El Escaudrón 201.”
A stirring tribute to an unjustly overlooked group of heroes. (glossary, pronunciation guide, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-60060-440-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
This slim volume brings to you-are-there life a historical episode often relegated to a sidebar.
It might be said that the American Revolution began with the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.
Crowds of protestors filled Boston’s Old South Church. “Boston Harbor a teapot tonight!” someone yelled. And sure enough, that evening, thousands of pounds of tea from three merchant ships were dumped into the harbor. A wide range of Boston society—well-known citizens, carpenters, printers, blacksmiths and shipwrights, young and old—dressed up to resemble Mohawk Indians, their faces smeared with grease and lampblack or soot, turned out to protest the British government’s tyranny. As always, Freedman demonstrates his skill at telling the story behind the facts, weaving a lively narrative out of the details and voices that shaped one episode of history. Drawing on primary resources as well as scholarly works, he smoothly melds quotations from eyewitnesses and other sources into a lively and engaging narrative. The volume has been lovingly designed, and Malone’s memorable watercolor illustrations are beautifully wrought, adding much to the telling. The Boston Tea Party is often just one of several names and events that students have to memorize in school; here’s a chance to read about it as an exciting story.
This slim volume brings to you-are-there life a historical episode often relegated to a sidebar. (afterword, bibliographic essay, note on tea, timeline, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2266-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
Reluctant historians may find Virgil's "ghostory" appealing.
History is more haunted than readers may think.
Disney might have some believing that castles are clean, pink and full of unicorn tapestries. But Virgil Dante, youngest Master Ghostorian in London, is here to disabuse readers of that notion, ostensibly with the help of his raven, Thor, and a passel of ghosts. They tour history with the assistance of a cursed pocket watch and look in on castles, dungeons, palaces and graveyards. Here and there, they learn a thing or two from a “real” ghost from the locale and time period they are visiting. More often, Virgil just lectures in a colloquial narrative voice or offers maps, lists and diagrams of horrible places and things in world history. The usual suspects get the eye: The Tower of London and the Bastille figure prominently, but there are also lesser-known nests of nastiness like Himeji Castle in Japan and Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Everett and Scott-Waters have put together an instructive, amusing-enough gross-and-horrible history title. However, it feels a bit scattered, and the ghosts are few and far between. Abundant black-and-white illustrations are grisly and spooky enough to hold interest.
Reluctant historians may find Virgil's "ghostory" appealing. (timeline, maps, resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8971-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
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