Mare's War
CCBC Review:
On a cross-country road trip with their standoffish grandmother, Mare, resentful teens Octavia and Tali (both would rather be home for the summer) gain insight into Mare’s life as she tells them about serving in the Women’s Army Corp (WAC) during World War II. Mare’s reminiscences, told in first-person, present-tense chapters headed “Then,” form the heart of Tanita S. Davis’s novel, which paints a vivid picture of the past. Mare’s challenging home life and small Alabama town, the friendships she develops in the WACs, her training and assignments in the army, and the racism she and other Black soldiers face at home and overseas feel immediate and real. The experience in the WACs gradually changes Mare into a more confident young woman with eyes and mind open wide. The present-day chapters, headed “Now,” chronicle how both the cross-country journey and their grandmother’s stories affect the two sisters, who are often at odds. But surprising camaraderie—with one another and with Mare—develops over the course of the journey. ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 12-15
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
African Americans
Arguments/Conflict
Girls and Women
Grandmothers
Historical Fiction
Journeys and Quests
Racism
Sexism
Sisters
Soldiers/Military
World War II
Diversity subject:
Black/African
On CCBC Booklist:
Military Families
Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 341
ISBN: 9780375857140
CCBC Location: Fiction, Davis