Allies by Alan Gratz

Allies is an action-packed, multi-faceted look at a day in history that many young people know little about. Readers see D-Day from multiple perspectives, including Samira, an Algerian girl whose mother is part of the French resistance; Dee, an American soldier on a Higgins boat; James, a paratrooper; and Henry, an African American medic trying to save lives on the beach. The book realistically includes blood and death and the terror of the war, and there is not a happy ending for all of the characters. Alan Gratz has many fans, and Allies will not disappoint. Highly recommended for middle schoolers who want to read about war and who like books full of action and heroism.