"The author of Island Far from Home (1995) competently takes on a familiar theme. Newly arrived at a U.S. Army base near the battlefield of Verdun, Terry struggles to fit in with the on-base in crowd, while developing a friendship with Claude, a scorned, half-French local resident." --Booklist Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Donahue turns from the Civil War setting of An Island Far from Home to an American military base near the WWI battlefields of Verdun in 1961 during the Berlin crisis for this middling tale of friendship across two cultures. When 12-year-old Terry O'Brien aka "O.B." relocates with his family to a military base near a tiny French village, his new friend, Cannonball, quickly fills him in: "At this base... there's only two kinds of kids aces and deuces." Cannonball deems himself and his friends who play baseball on the American Base League "aces," but Claude "the Clod," a boy from the village who keeps score for the games, is a "deuce." O.B. initially fails to make the first cut for the team, but when he later gets his shot, he is torn between a blossoming friendship with Claude and his wish to be "in" with Cannonball and his crowd. Although the author works into the narrative some fascinating facts about the battle fought at Verdun, many of the relationships among characters suffer. O.B.'s friendships with Claude and Cannonball develop credibly, but other interactions (such as O.B.'s visit with Claude's grandfather and Claude's exposure to the "aces") get superficial treatment. This novel will appeal mostly to budding military buffs. Ages 8-12. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 5-8-The American army base near Verdun, France, in 1961 is the setting for this story about a 12-year-old boy who has to cope once again with making new friends. Terry O'Brien's father is a colonel, and the family has moved many times for his career. Terry wants to be accepted by the popular boys. Making the baseball team may be his only hope of proving himself, but staying away from Claude, a French boy dubbed "the Clod," would also help. However, Claude befriends him and teaches him about World War I, especially about the countryside still filled with live artillery shells. As news of the coming Berlin Crisis causes the base to go on alert, the in-crowd invites Terry to join them in setting up camp in the woods. The tension builds when Terry and Claude try to find the group before it takes the wrong path into remnants of the old war. From Claude, Terry learns about true friendship. A few French words and phrases are interspersed throughout the dialogue, but usually Claude translates them. The informative historical detail fits smoothly into the action of the story. Although the outcome is somewhat predictable, Terry is an interesting character and readers will empathize with his concerns.-Michael McCullough, Byron-Bergen Middle School, Bergen, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information