Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

A few hours ago I was about to start a recipe review when I got distracted by something–I don’t remember exactly what–and didn’t get to it.  Since I finished reading Jim Murphy’s Truce to my older girls tonight, however, you get a book review instead.  Enjoy!

If you’re not familiar with the ‘Christmas truce’ of WWI, that part of the book alone should fascinate you; I’ve heard enough about it over the years, however, that what I found most interesting was Murphy’s explanation of the European countries’ attitudes before WWI.  I learned about the secret alliances and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Serbia when I was a sophomore in high school–shout out to Mr. Bowes!–but Murphy’s descriptions of the leaders of the countries involved, together with the quotes from some of the relevant documents, added significantly to my understanding of how such a pointless, tragic war began.  Full of photos of the war itself as well as the truce, this is not a book that sugarcoats the aftermath of such a vast conflict; the black-and-white, often fuzzy quality of the photos, however, allows young readers some distance.  Ultimately, Murphy successfully balances information about the truce itself with enough context to make it accessible for its intended audience, while his epilogue suggests a modern parallel that I’m going to be pondering for a while.  If you’re looking for non-fiction for middle graders, he’s an author worth noting, especially given his two Newbery Honor books.  Just pick up one of his books and start reading!