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Prisoner of War
Survive the war. Outlast the enemy. Stay alive.
That's what Henry Forrest has to do. When he lies about his age to join the Marines, Henry never imagines he'll face anything worse than his own father's cruelty. But his unit is shipped off to the Philippines, where the heat is unbearable, the conditions are brutal, and Henry's dreams of careless adventuring are completely dashed.
Then the Japanese invade the islands, and US forces there surrender. As a prisoner of war, Henry faces one horror after another. Yet among his fellow captives, he finds kindness, respect, even brotherhood. A glimmer of light in the darkness. And he'll need to hold tight to the hope they offer if he wants to win the fight for his country, his freedom . . . and his life.
Michael P. Spradlin's latest novel tenderly explores the harsh realities of the Bataan Death March and captivity on the Pacific front during World War II.
That's what Henry Forrest has to do. When he lies about his age to join the Marines, Henry never imagines he'll face anything worse than his own father's cruelty. But his unit is shipped off to the Philippines, where the heat is unbearable, the conditions are brutal, and Henry's dreams of careless adventuring are completely dashed.
Then the Japanese invade the islands, and US forces there surrender. As a prisoner of war, Henry faces one horror after another. Yet among his fellow captives, he finds kindness, respect, even brotherhood. A glimmer of light in the darkness. And he'll need to hold tight to the hope they offer if he wants to win the fight for his country, his freedom . . . and his life.
Michael P. Spradlin's latest novel tenderly explores the harsh realities of the Bataan Death March and captivity on the Pacific front during World War II.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2017
94 people are currently reading
1516 people want to read
About the author
Michael P. Spradlin
60 books129 followersMichael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
June 8, 2017
"The history of free men is never really written by chance, but by choice: their choice!"
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
This story is about Henry Forrest (nicknamed Tree) and takes place between 1941-1945. Henry lies about his age to join the marines to escape his cruel father. His unit is shipped to the Philippines, first near the capital city of Manila, but once the Japanese begin bombing, they are forced to flee to the southern peninsula of Bataan.
Then the Japanese invade the islands, and the US forces there surrender. Henry, along with many others, becomes a prisoner of war. They are forced to march, in what became known as the Bataan Death March, roughly 65 miles to prison camps. The march was done under harsh conditions and brutal treatment by the Japanese guards.
Thousands of troops are thought to have died on the march alone. Henry survives and is taken by rail to the prisoner of war camps, where thousands more died from disease, starvation and general mistreatment. Despite all the brutality that Henry witnesses, he also finds acts of kindness and respect from his fellow captives. This story is about Henry trying to hold on to the tiny bit of hope that those acts give him if he hopes to survive.
This novel is intended for mature upper elementary readers and middle school readers. My daughter, who is 10 and therefore the intended audience, really enjoyed this book. She insisted I read it as soon as she was finished with it. I think that, had I read this closer to her age, I would've enjoyed it a lot more as well. I really enjoyed that there are more and more age appropriate historical fictions being offered to younger readers. This one focuses on a point in WW2 that you don't often hear about as much as others. But, for me, this was a hard book to get through, not because of any atrocities happening, but because of the pacing and somewhat repetitive dialogue.
The march, which is described as a focal point of this novel, is somewhat glossed over. The majority of this novel takes place during the soldiers captivity. For all the brutality that was going on throughout (I'm sure it was also toned down brutality for the younger readers), the ending was just a little too smooth and happily ever after to be believable by me. In the author's afterword, he did go into some of the realities about what it was like for soldiers returning home after the war, but the fact that it wasn't tied into the story itself left me dissatisfied by the ending.
Throughout the captivity and even before it, everyone's dialogue just seemed very repetitive, which caused me to quickly lose interest and set this aside for other reading materials. Because of that, it took me quite a while to finish this. The last bit of the book I mainly skimmed through. So, would I recommend it? To younger readers, yes. I love that my daughter reads books from multiple genres, including historical fiction and I do think it's important for younger generations to learn what they can about the history of our world and the many different points in time throughout it, whether they were good or bad. But for adults? It may not hold your interest and there are far better historical fictions out there. Honestly, even researching the Death March online before I began this book held my interest more.
3 stars
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
This story is about Henry Forrest (nicknamed Tree) and takes place between 1941-1945. Henry lies about his age to join the marines to escape his cruel father. His unit is shipped to the Philippines, first near the capital city of Manila, but once the Japanese begin bombing, they are forced to flee to the southern peninsula of Bataan.
Then the Japanese invade the islands, and the US forces there surrender. Henry, along with many others, becomes a prisoner of war. They are forced to march, in what became known as the Bataan Death March, roughly 65 miles to prison camps. The march was done under harsh conditions and brutal treatment by the Japanese guards.
Thousands of troops are thought to have died on the march alone. Henry survives and is taken by rail to the prisoner of war camps, where thousands more died from disease, starvation and general mistreatment. Despite all the brutality that Henry witnesses, he also finds acts of kindness and respect from his fellow captives. This story is about Henry trying to hold on to the tiny bit of hope that those acts give him if he hopes to survive.
This novel is intended for mature upper elementary readers and middle school readers. My daughter, who is 10 and therefore the intended audience, really enjoyed this book. She insisted I read it as soon as she was finished with it. I think that, had I read this closer to her age, I would've enjoyed it a lot more as well. I really enjoyed that there are more and more age appropriate historical fictions being offered to younger readers. This one focuses on a point in WW2 that you don't often hear about as much as others. But, for me, this was a hard book to get through, not because of any atrocities happening, but because of the pacing and somewhat repetitive dialogue.
The march, which is described as a focal point of this novel, is somewhat glossed over. The majority of this novel takes place during the soldiers captivity. For all the brutality that was going on throughout (I'm sure it was also toned down brutality for the younger readers), the ending was just a little too smooth and happily ever after to be believable by me. In the author's afterword, he did go into some of the realities about what it was like for soldiers returning home after the war, but the fact that it wasn't tied into the story itself left me dissatisfied by the ending.
Throughout the captivity and even before it, everyone's dialogue just seemed very repetitive, which caused me to quickly lose interest and set this aside for other reading materials. Because of that, it took me quite a while to finish this. The last bit of the book I mainly skimmed through. So, would I recommend it? To younger readers, yes. I love that my daughter reads books from multiple genres, including historical fiction and I do think it's important for younger generations to learn what they can about the history of our world and the many different points in time throughout it, whether they were good or bad. But for adults? It may not hold your interest and there are far better historical fictions out there. Honestly, even researching the Death March online before I began this book held my interest more.
3 stars
April 14, 2020
Prisoner of War is an amazing and very interesting historical-fiction book. It shows how the main character, Henry Forest, lies his way into the US marines and survives the harsh reality of a world war II POW camp. While still being a fun read, it gives insight on how the marines never give up. Along with showing Henry's journey with the USA Marines, it shows his journey of finding strength at the hardest of times.
Prisoner of War is a great book for all people who love historical fiction although it contains violence.
Prisoner of War is a great book for all people who love historical fiction although it contains violence.
March 31, 2021
My son chose Prisoner of War as his purchase from the school book fair, and I read it to him over the course of 2 weeks.
My son loved it. He was excited by the action of the book, and very invested in the characters' fates. He is 9.
I thought it was okay. The book presents some historical background about the War in the Pacific, and also conveys the general misery produced by war. But it is exceedingly repetitive, and many of the actions that the protagonist gets away with strain credulity. I am 46.
Bottom line---if you're an adult, there are tens of thousands of books (and hundreds of war-based books) to read before this one.
My son loved it. He was excited by the action of the book, and very invested in the characters' fates. He is 9.
I thought it was okay. The book presents some historical background about the War in the Pacific, and also conveys the general misery produced by war. But it is exceedingly repetitive, and many of the actions that the protagonist gets away with strain credulity. I am 46.
Bottom line---if you're an adult, there are tens of thousands of books (and hundreds of war-based books) to read before this one.
May 1, 2018
So. It didn’t really take me this long to read. I put it down, got busy, then picked it up again. This is a detailed and well told account of life as a POW during WW2. The main character, Henry, is one to whom the reader can easily relate and the narrative voice is definitely written for a middle school reader. I’d rate it five stars except that the POV shifts randomly in the very beginning from first person to third person for no apparent reason. The rest of the book is from third person with the exception of the final quarter of the book. Not really sure what the author was trying to do here and am surprised Scholastic editors didn’t pick this up prior to publishing.
October 16, 2020
Book really intrigued me within the first few sentences of the book, if your interested in military and old wars that our country has fought, I would really recommend this book to you. Its more of the life of a boy that got himself stuck into a situation that he wish he didn't. He pushes thru it and overcomes obstacles that most of the teenagers alive today wouldn't survive.
June 14, 2017
Great book! Exiting adventure in the book! But a very sad book to when many American soldiers died.
Much suspense in the book which is always a good literary tool authors use that exited me! One of the best books I've read in 2017 so far!
Much suspense in the book which is always a good literary tool authors use that exited me! One of the best books I've read in 2017 so far!
March 25, 2018
Shows the harsh conditions and torture soldiers had to endure as POWs of the Japanese during WWII.
February 15, 2020
I bow to the rat that continued to find and steel Jam's cigs.
July 19, 2023
Wait because Im not one to get into books about war but man this book was so good! Finished it in less than 2 days. 100% recommended read!
November 13, 2025
Loved this book!
March 13, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, it was filled with lots of action and real life situations that soliders now have to deal with when out on the battlefield. The main character Henrey went through a lot of injurys and had to watch his fellow soliders die right in front of him. By the end of the story Henrey learned that joinng the military underage is not the best idea but it tought him alot of discipline .
May 16, 2018
Loved the action and the information of the events of world war 2. The pacific front was much different but yet so similar to nazi Germany.
September 22, 2017
I read all books before I add them to my classroom library to make sure they are appropriate for my students and this book is one I will put on the top shelf. Beautifully told fictional story based on real life events in a way that presents the atrocities committed in WWII by the Japanese to the POWs as the horrors they were, but not so strong as to overwhelm a young mind. An exceptional tale, told through the eyes of a young man running from a bad situation at home straight into the flames of a horrendous war. The book left me shell shocked, but in a contemplative way.
March 19, 2021
Henry Forrest, often called Tree, is a fifteen year old boy who illegally enlists in the Marines to get away from his abusive, alcoholic father. Set during World War II, Tree is initially sent to the Philippines, where he finds the conditions are worse than during basic training. After the Japanese invade, his base is forced to surrender and he and his comrades are taken as prisoners of war.
I initially had this book on my classroom shelves for my kids to read during our social issues unit. Luckily no one read it, as after finally having the time to read it myself, it's not something I would ever want my students reading.
To start with minor complaints, the book has typos in it. Whoever was responsible for proofreading didn't do their job very well, and I hate having to explain to my kids why it's important that they read over their work before submitting it when paid author's work has mistakes in it. I also was not a huge fan of the dialects used in the book, with each character dialect being made notable in how they speak. It read as very unnatural and childish.
My bigger complaint is how the author chooses to represent an entire country. This book reads as sheer propaganda. The Japanese are portrayed as being True Evil, bent on torturing and destroying all of America because they deem us as Not Human Beings. There is nothing redeemable about any Japanese characters - even the ones that help out are only helped because they are paid significant amounts of money. I'm not comfortable sending my student's the message that any country is full of just plain evil people. It's also interesting to note that there are no bad American's or bad Australians. Anyone who was on our side of the war is portrayed in a purely positive light, full of kindness and a desire to do good. This sort of black and white thinking is dangerous, and doesn't convey a good message. I'm taking this book out of my classroom library, and I'll be happily replacing it with some books that accurately portray both sides of the war.
I initially had this book on my classroom shelves for my kids to read during our social issues unit. Luckily no one read it, as after finally having the time to read it myself, it's not something I would ever want my students reading.
To start with minor complaints, the book has typos in it. Whoever was responsible for proofreading didn't do their job very well, and I hate having to explain to my kids why it's important that they read over their work before submitting it when paid author's work has mistakes in it. I also was not a huge fan of the dialects used in the book, with each character dialect being made notable in how they speak. It read as very unnatural and childish.
My bigger complaint is how the author chooses to represent an entire country. This book reads as sheer propaganda. The Japanese are portrayed as being True Evil, bent on torturing and destroying all of America because they deem us as Not Human Beings. There is nothing redeemable about any Japanese characters - even the ones that help out are only helped because they are paid significant amounts of money. I'm not comfortable sending my student's the message that any country is full of just plain evil people. It's also interesting to note that there are no bad American's or bad Australians. Anyone who was on our side of the war is portrayed in a purely positive light, full of kindness and a desire to do good. This sort of black and white thinking is dangerous, and doesn't convey a good message. I'm taking this book out of my classroom library, and I'll be happily replacing it with some books that accurately portray both sides of the war.
February 23, 2022
3.5/5
Yeahhh, it was good. Can see myself enjoying this more as a younger reader.
It was a classic war story, packed with action, patriotism, camaraderie, dialogal humour and undevoped tragedy (literally No Time to process anything), and I did genuinely enjoy reading it. For most of it.
It was just repetitive. I understand that’s what war’s like, and the author did do their best to condense what was essentially a four-year slog of brutal and inhumane suffering for the POWs into a relatively coherent story, it just got too long by the end. The author gave up on the intermittent adventures of rescue and outsmarting guards and chirpy dialogue with his mates to just spend the last chunk of the book detailing the various injustices they faced, every few paragraphs re-emphasising the only lesson of the entire book: persevere, by having our mc repeat the words “I know he told me to dig deep, but there was no where else to dig” or something to a similar effect. THERE WAS NO DIALOGUE DURING THIS TIME.
Everyones hurting, suffering, getting sick, and soldiers are dropping left and right, but as this book aims to be a kid-friendly action-packed novel, it never really explores the tragedy to an impactful extent. I was like, hey, woah, okay, our 15 year old soldier here just got tortured for numerous months and i’m supposed to be like “get it king!” as the book AGAIN reiterates the necessity to persevere. And I applaud them! Veterans deserve so much respect. But there’s also grief, and I missed that in this book.
I know they wanted to wrap it up with a happy ending (thanks Uncle Sam 🇺🇸) but it just draggedddd.
There was also the fact that the entire premise of the book, a 15 year old being enlisted into war, was never really conceptually explored or challenged. The book would have had the same effect if he were a legal adult Marine. The author could have done more with it, critiqued the desparation of war and domestic abuse, further demonstrated his youth through immaturity, fear and sensitivity, and allowed us to mourn his damaged youth and unimaginable trauma.
And then there’s the characterisation. Look, I loved the characters, but that’s because I have low standards. They were all archetypal. The author even managed to generalise all the Australian soldiers to being literally the same person with different names — they were all tall, tough and strong and used wAcKy Australian slang which carried way too much of the book’s humour now I think about it. And then every Japanese guard was evil and cruel and insecure. Hold on, is Prisoner of War just anti-Jap pro-American propaganda? 😬
Also, everyone’s the same, persevering and encouraging and maintaining their slightly varying personalities. Again, I live for it. But I also would have loved to see an mc crumble, someone who can’t take 4 years of pain and suffering and brush it off as if PTSD doesn’t exist. But it served its purpose of being an exciting adventure set in one of the most terribly tragic war scenes — and I can’t really fault it for not being exactly what I want.
I say all this, but I still give this book 3.5 rounding up to 4 stars. Why?
Because I enjoyed it. Again, my biggest complaints are with the end of the book. If you’re going to drag it on over four years (I personally think wrapping it up before victory would have been more effective) at least give us more than an epilogue-style recount of the aftermath. I mean, Henry showing up his dad was so disappointing, all those years and the best justice he got was “Hi Dad, Bye Dad” leaving him apparently shocked at the sight. It all works out in the end, and it almost felt like I didn’t see the inevitably long-reaching traumatic impacts of their unimaginable experience — as if it served to do nothing else than embolden them, reminding them to persevere, and leave Henry with a good friend nearby.
Where was I going with this? Ah yes, the pros. I love war books. This book succeed for me in the way most war books do. It just didn’t stand out. Three words I used earlier to describe the book were immersive, enlightening, and well-paced. And it was well-paced (until, of course, the dang-disappointing-end). But before then, other then the failure to exhibit show-don’t-tell, i was largely loving it, because I’m easy to please. I love to analyse, but I’m easy to please. There are few movies which I truly dislike, few books that I finish with distaste. I give too many 4-5 star reviews. And this book is well written in terms of readability; it’s straightforward and it’s easy to tear through.
But if a readable, predictable, uplifting, wholesome, patriotic, and cheaply amusing action-and-adventure novel isn’t for you, give it to your kid, or your little cousin. 😊🤎
Yeahhh, it was good. Can see myself enjoying this more as a younger reader.
It was a classic war story, packed with action, patriotism, camaraderie, dialogal humour and undevoped tragedy (literally No Time to process anything), and I did genuinely enjoy reading it. For most of it.
It was just repetitive. I understand that’s what war’s like, and the author did do their best to condense what was essentially a four-year slog of brutal and inhumane suffering for the POWs into a relatively coherent story, it just got too long by the end. The author gave up on the intermittent adventures of rescue and outsmarting guards and chirpy dialogue with his mates to just spend the last chunk of the book detailing the various injustices they faced, every few paragraphs re-emphasising the only lesson of the entire book: persevere, by having our mc repeat the words “I know he told me to dig deep, but there was no where else to dig” or something to a similar effect. THERE WAS NO DIALOGUE DURING THIS TIME.
Everyones hurting, suffering, getting sick, and soldiers are dropping left and right, but as this book aims to be a kid-friendly action-packed novel, it never really explores the tragedy to an impactful extent. I was like, hey, woah, okay, our 15 year old soldier here just got tortured for numerous months and i’m supposed to be like “get it king!” as the book AGAIN reiterates the necessity to persevere. And I applaud them! Veterans deserve so much respect. But there’s also grief, and I missed that in this book.
I know they wanted to wrap it up with a happy ending (thanks Uncle Sam 🇺🇸) but it just draggedddd.
There was also the fact that the entire premise of the book, a 15 year old being enlisted into war, was never really conceptually explored or challenged. The book would have had the same effect if he were a legal adult Marine. The author could have done more with it, critiqued the desparation of war and domestic abuse, further demonstrated his youth through immaturity, fear and sensitivity, and allowed us to mourn his damaged youth and unimaginable trauma.
And then there’s the characterisation. Look, I loved the characters, but that’s because I have low standards. They were all archetypal. The author even managed to generalise all the Australian soldiers to being literally the same person with different names — they were all tall, tough and strong and used wAcKy Australian slang which carried way too much of the book’s humour now I think about it. And then every Japanese guard was evil and cruel and insecure. Hold on, is Prisoner of War just anti-Jap pro-American propaganda? 😬
Also, everyone’s the same, persevering and encouraging and maintaining their slightly varying personalities. Again, I live for it. But I also would have loved to see an mc crumble, someone who can’t take 4 years of pain and suffering and brush it off as if PTSD doesn’t exist. But it served its purpose of being an exciting adventure set in one of the most terribly tragic war scenes — and I can’t really fault it for not being exactly what I want.
I say all this, but I still give this book 3.5 rounding up to 4 stars. Why?
Because I enjoyed it. Again, my biggest complaints are with the end of the book. If you’re going to drag it on over four years (I personally think wrapping it up before victory would have been more effective) at least give us more than an epilogue-style recount of the aftermath. I mean, Henry showing up his dad was so disappointing, all those years and the best justice he got was “Hi Dad, Bye Dad” leaving him apparently shocked at the sight. It all works out in the end, and it almost felt like I didn’t see the inevitably long-reaching traumatic impacts of their unimaginable experience — as if it served to do nothing else than embolden them, reminding them to persevere, and leave Henry with a good friend nearby.
Where was I going with this? Ah yes, the pros. I love war books. This book succeed for me in the way most war books do. It just didn’t stand out. Three words I used earlier to describe the book were immersive, enlightening, and well-paced. And it was well-paced (until, of course, the dang-disappointing-end). But before then, other then the failure to exhibit show-don’t-tell, i was largely loving it, because I’m easy to please. I love to analyse, but I’m easy to please. There are few movies which I truly dislike, few books that I finish with distaste. I give too many 4-5 star reviews. And this book is well written in terms of readability; it’s straightforward and it’s easy to tear through.
But if a readable, predictable, uplifting, wholesome, patriotic, and cheaply amusing action-and-adventure novel isn’t for you, give it to your kid, or your little cousin. 😊🤎
July 11, 2017
This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.
It's so awful. I can't believe that people were so terrible to each other–and this isn't even the Germans in their usual racist evilness, but the Japanese conforming to their archaic, ingrained ideas about proper military behavior. They literally believed that the American soldiers were despicable, subhuman creatures because they'd surrendered territory, something a true Japanese warrior would rather die than do. Or at least, that's the reasoning they gave–I'm sure the men who actually committed the atrocious acts also just enjoyed the feeling of absolute power their positions offered, and the opportunity to punish someone for the pains of WWII.
I have a hard time reviewing books like Prisoner of War because they are so valuable for me to read, literary qualities aside. I'd never read a book directly focused on the experience of captured soldiers in the Philippines (well I guess I have, but not one focused on the men who experienced the Bataan Death March). It's horrible to read about the depths of inhumanity reached during WWII, so I didn't necessarily enjoy reading this, but I felt like it was a necessary read. We need to know the darkest parts of our collective history as a species so we can move forward and prevent the chain of events that would lead to a similar situation ever again.
As an aside, part of me wonders why today's education/society focuses on the murder of European-born Jews to the almost entire drowning out of stories like the Bataan Death March from WWII. So many more Jews than soldiers were killed, of course, but these were our own soldiers who suffered under the Japanese hand. Was there no public backlash when we discovered how completely the Japanese had ignored the Geneva Convention's rules about prisoners of war? Or were we so emotionally devastated by the waves of horror rolling out of newly-liberated European concentration camps that we didn't have the emotional energy to become angry at this fresh piece of brutality? Or perhaps we felt so conflicted about the morality of bombing innocents in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that we didn't think we were in any position to argue against the mistreatment of our soldiers.
Anyway, as far as the actual story is concerned I liked Henry but I never felt like I got to know him super well. The characters are portrayed with as much nuance as the book's short length allows, and it's clear that the author has done a lot of research. It did feel in some parts like the soldiers were idealized a little bit while the Japanese were almost universally pure evil, but that may well have been what it felt like for the real soldiers in Henry's shoes. Anyway, this is a good starting point for anyone interested in this area of WWII. I probably won't be reading any more on the subject just because it's really depressing, but I'm glad I at least read Prisoner of War. If you know of any other good books about life in the Philippines during WWII, post them in the comments section down below so others can check them out!
Disclaimer: I received an unsolicited, complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It's so awful. I can't believe that people were so terrible to each other–and this isn't even the Germans in their usual racist evilness, but the Japanese conforming to their archaic, ingrained ideas about proper military behavior. They literally believed that the American soldiers were despicable, subhuman creatures because they'd surrendered territory, something a true Japanese warrior would rather die than do. Or at least, that's the reasoning they gave–I'm sure the men who actually committed the atrocious acts also just enjoyed the feeling of absolute power their positions offered, and the opportunity to punish someone for the pains of WWII.
I have a hard time reviewing books like Prisoner of War because they are so valuable for me to read, literary qualities aside. I'd never read a book directly focused on the experience of captured soldiers in the Philippines (well I guess I have, but not one focused on the men who experienced the Bataan Death March). It's horrible to read about the depths of inhumanity reached during WWII, so I didn't necessarily enjoy reading this, but I felt like it was a necessary read. We need to know the darkest parts of our collective history as a species so we can move forward and prevent the chain of events that would lead to a similar situation ever again.
As an aside, part of me wonders why today's education/society focuses on the murder of European-born Jews to the almost entire drowning out of stories like the Bataan Death March from WWII. So many more Jews than soldiers were killed, of course, but these were our own soldiers who suffered under the Japanese hand. Was there no public backlash when we discovered how completely the Japanese had ignored the Geneva Convention's rules about prisoners of war? Or were we so emotionally devastated by the waves of horror rolling out of newly-liberated European concentration camps that we didn't have the emotional energy to become angry at this fresh piece of brutality? Or perhaps we felt so conflicted about the morality of bombing innocents in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that we didn't think we were in any position to argue against the mistreatment of our soldiers.
Anyway, as far as the actual story is concerned I liked Henry but I never felt like I got to know him super well. The characters are portrayed with as much nuance as the book's short length allows, and it's clear that the author has done a lot of research. It did feel in some parts like the soldiers were idealized a little bit while the Japanese were almost universally pure evil, but that may well have been what it felt like for the real soldiers in Henry's shoes. Anyway, this is a good starting point for anyone interested in this area of WWII. I probably won't be reading any more on the subject just because it's really depressing, but I'm glad I at least read Prisoner of War. If you know of any other good books about life in the Philippines during WWII, post them in the comments section down below so others can check them out!
Disclaimer: I received an unsolicited, complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2023
The book, "Prisoner of War" by Michael P. Spradlin is based in World War 2. The main character Henry Forrest leaves his house to join the military underaged because of his abusive father. To do this he gets help from his grandfather who took some convincing before realizing that it was what was best for him, or that is what they thought. (SPOILER) Unfortunately for him Peral Harbor gets bombed after he successfully enrolls, and his camp is thought to be next. As suspected, they get attacked, and somehow, they are able to hold them off but have nowhere to run. So, they hold their ground for two weeks. In those two weeks they get occasionally bombed to be reminded that they are not alone. Right before running out of food, they get a letter from their commanders saying that they have no other option and will have to give up. Within the first hour of them getting captured they are randomly attacked and beaten until they finally leave. Going through the first month of being held captive you can see the main characters and the other soldiers slowly turning into what they are being treated like, animals. For example, marching for hours/days, being stuffed in box cars with no room to even sit, and limited food can really turn people against each other. You see in the death marches people slowing down too much and being ended, or people sitting down after days of walking and being shot. This is based off a true story were a boy goes through death marches, starvation, and unhuman like treatment. This is a first-person story with main characters like Henry Forrest (main character), Billy Jamison(friend), and Jack McAdams (father figure) Grandpa, Father. When reading this I was very entertained with the book being suspenseful and action packed. I mainly enjoyed how descriptive it was, talking about the main characters thoughts in action and the surroundings. I do with the book dived more into how training went for Henry Forrest and what struggles he may have had. I was easily, with no question, able to connect with the characters and story and throw myself in like I was along for the ride, this is what kept me on the edge of my seat. There are a total of 272 pages of gold that is worth reading. I give this book a solid 9/10 and I highly recommend it.
December 12, 2017
"I couldn't believe so much hatred could be in a human being, the way his eyes fueled with rage as he struck him down."-Henry Forrest pg. 90 Prisoner of war follows the story of a poor 15 year old kid who works on a farm with his dad. His mother died years ago and since then his dad had become a drunk and constantly beat Henry for seemingly no reason. Henry was sick of all of that so he decided to join the marine corps. He wasn't 18 yet so he had his grandpa vouch for him at registration. He barely made it through basic training and ended up being deployed in the southern Pacific Islands. He wanted to be deployed in Europe but he didn't argue. While there his colonel called him in to tell him he found out about his age. Just when the colonel was gonna sign the papers to discharge Henry the Japanese attacked. The island was bombed and attacked for months until they eventually had t surrender to Japan. The Japanese considered surrendering making you weak and less than human. So the prisoners had no rights and were beaten and killed if an officer was just having a bad day. Henry and his two buddies "Gunny" and "Jams" survived the Bataan death march and ended up in a camp. They stayed there for about 3 years then were transferred to Japan so the Americans could not rescue them. They ended up painting a big POW sign on one of the rooftops so U.S. planes would not bomb them and they were delivered care packages filled with supplies. That was when the Japanese finally surrendered (because of the atomic bombs dropped on them). But "Gunny" and Henry set up explosives right in the commanding officers office and blew them up. They did this because the Japanese were planning on killing them before they were set free. "Jams" ended up dying along with many fellow soldiers and he was greatly missed. "Gunny" and Henry went home and after 4 years of imprisonment Henry came back to his town and said goodbye to his dad and left him there at the bar. The death rate in the camps sometimes reached 50% compared to Germany's Camps with a 3% death rate. The Japanese were relentless to the prisoners because they did not consider them people anymore. It tells a good story about how someone can change when they realize what they can do. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a story about survival, accomplishment, and brotherhood. The figurative language used in this book was usually used as insults but this one is about Henry and is a simile: "My heart was thundering like a thoroughbred on a race track."
October 9, 2017
I went to the library yesterday to return Beneath a Scarlet Sky and look for another WWII book because I'm in such a weird kick right now where I obviously like to torture myself reading books about such awful times in our history. I was looking for the Book Thief because I still haven't read it. It was checked out, but I walked past the section where new release young adult books are kept and this one caught my eye.
This book was such a quick read as it is geared more towards around 10-12 year olds but it was still a good read. It revolves around the Death March in the Philippines where soldiers were forced to march to POW camps and kept for years. It focuses on young Henry (nicknames Tree) who lies about his age (he's only 15) to enlist in the Marines in order to get away from his abusive father. He was expecting to be send to some place in Europe but instead is sent to the Philippines. There, the Japanese Army takes them all prisoner and they endure horrible conditions for nearly 3 years.
I honestly had never heard of this part of the war. I knew that the Japanese were involved (Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombs and what not) but I was not aware of the Death March. Although the author at the end explains how the people in the story are fictitious, but the details were pulled from actual survivors but left without names in order to protect their privacy.
I literally read this book in an evening. This is a book I would love to give to my 13 year old niece as it is something that is an important part of our history but isn't as gruesome or graphic as the other books I have read about this time period. For being basically a children's book, it was excellent.
Just a heads up, I'm probably going to be reviewing a lot of WWII type books as I'm in such a kick right now. Sorry to depress anyone haha.
For more reviews: soulmeetsbooks.wordpress.com
This book was such a quick read as it is geared more towards around 10-12 year olds but it was still a good read. It revolves around the Death March in the Philippines where soldiers were forced to march to POW camps and kept for years. It focuses on young Henry (nicknames Tree) who lies about his age (he's only 15) to enlist in the Marines in order to get away from his abusive father. He was expecting to be send to some place in Europe but instead is sent to the Philippines. There, the Japanese Army takes them all prisoner and they endure horrible conditions for nearly 3 years.
I honestly had never heard of this part of the war. I knew that the Japanese were involved (Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombs and what not) but I was not aware of the Death March. Although the author at the end explains how the people in the story are fictitious, but the details were pulled from actual survivors but left without names in order to protect their privacy.
I literally read this book in an evening. This is a book I would love to give to my 13 year old niece as it is something that is an important part of our history but isn't as gruesome or graphic as the other books I have read about this time period. For being basically a children's book, it was excellent.
Just a heads up, I'm probably going to be reviewing a lot of WWII type books as I'm in such a kick right now. Sorry to depress anyone haha.
For more reviews: soulmeetsbooks.wordpress.com
October 17, 2022
Would you let your child read a novel about war, fighting, blood, etc... During this book, there are many lessons shown. I would let a little kid read this book to just learn about these lessons. For example, Henry is the main character in this novel, and his life just keeps getting worse. Also, this book will catch your attention right away, and it will keep you interested throughout the whole book.
Henry is just a little teenager, he isn’t really the strongest guy around. Anyways, when Henry was about 7 years old his mother passed by a horrible crash. Ever since then his dad has always been so uptight on him and Henry never knew what to do. He would get beat plenty of times in the day maybe just because the dishes weren’t done fast enough. Well there grandparents were always there too but none of them ever figured about why his father was always so angry. Later on, Henry was sick of this and wanted to join the army. But he wasn’t old enough. So Henry’s grandfather had to help him out a bit about his age, etc. A few minutes later he passed. He was so happy, he finally had freedom…
War started… Henry thought the army was gonna be a place he could get away from everything and there wouldn’t be any hardship. The Japanese attacked. He was in shock, not knowing anything could get worse from his dad beating him. But as soon as the first gunshots went off this story, Henry was scared out of his man. Bloody people to his left and right, scary big Japanese shoulders running in from their boats. He didn’t know what to do. He never thought we would be killing people like this but it was his duty… You’ll have to find out more by reading the book yourself.
Anyways, I really liked this book because it taught many lessons such as, be grateful for what you have, life can always get worse, and there’s so many more in there. This book kept me entertained from the front of the book to the last page. I believe you should all start reading it.
Henry is just a little teenager, he isn’t really the strongest guy around. Anyways, when Henry was about 7 years old his mother passed by a horrible crash. Ever since then his dad has always been so uptight on him and Henry never knew what to do. He would get beat plenty of times in the day maybe just because the dishes weren’t done fast enough. Well there grandparents were always there too but none of them ever figured about why his father was always so angry. Later on, Henry was sick of this and wanted to join the army. But he wasn’t old enough. So Henry’s grandfather had to help him out a bit about his age, etc. A few minutes later he passed. He was so happy, he finally had freedom…
War started… Henry thought the army was gonna be a place he could get away from everything and there wouldn’t be any hardship. The Japanese attacked. He was in shock, not knowing anything could get worse from his dad beating him. But as soon as the first gunshots went off this story, Henry was scared out of his man. Bloody people to his left and right, scary big Japanese shoulders running in from their boats. He didn’t know what to do. He never thought we would be killing people like this but it was his duty… You’ll have to find out more by reading the book yourself.
Anyways, I really liked this book because it taught many lessons such as, be grateful for what you have, life can always get worse, and there’s so many more in there. This book kept me entertained from the front of the book to the last page. I believe you should all start reading it.
July 2, 2020
In 1941, Henry Forrest, 15 years old, lies about his age to join the United States Marines. The only reason the he enlisted in the first place is because his father has been abusive to Henry ever since his mother died. His unit is shipped to the Philippines, near Manila. But when the Japanese starts bombing Manila, they are ordered to go to Bataan.
Then, of course, the Japanese start invading the Philippines. Therefore, the US surrenders. Tens of thousands of soldiers were forced to march 65 miles to Camp O'Donnell, a POW (Prisoner of War) camp. There they have to be able to endure starvation, beatings, thirst, and many more conditions, not to mention miserable heat and humidity. After 2.5 years of brutality and harsh conditions, they are ordered by the Japanese to go to Japan. They board a rusty boat, but when Japanese ships start bombing the freighter, hundreds of prisoners die. After getting to shore, Henry finds 1 of his 2 friends dead. He later finds gunshots in his shoulder and stomach.
Finally, they are in better, cooler conditions than the Philippines. But then Henry finds out that he has to work 12 hours a day for 1.5 years shoveling coal into a furnace. All of a sudden, American forces start bombing Tokyo like crazy. Because there was an atomic bomb dropped, the Emperor of Japan surrenders to America.
When Henry gets home to Duluth, Minnesota, he finds out that his grandfather has died and that his father lives in a bar. He gets money from his neighbors and buys a truck. He then says his final goodbye to his father, and heads to Texas. There, he asks his buddy, Gunnery Sergeant Jack McAdams (Gunny) if he can have a job on his farm.
I really liked this book and can't wait to read another of Spradlin's books. This book is appropriate for anybody in middle school or higher.
Then, of course, the Japanese start invading the Philippines. Therefore, the US surrenders. Tens of thousands of soldiers were forced to march 65 miles to Camp O'Donnell, a POW (Prisoner of War) camp. There they have to be able to endure starvation, beatings, thirst, and many more conditions, not to mention miserable heat and humidity. After 2.5 years of brutality and harsh conditions, they are ordered by the Japanese to go to Japan. They board a rusty boat, but when Japanese ships start bombing the freighter, hundreds of prisoners die. After getting to shore, Henry finds 1 of his 2 friends dead. He later finds gunshots in his shoulder and stomach.
Finally, they are in better, cooler conditions than the Philippines. But then Henry finds out that he has to work 12 hours a day for 1.5 years shoveling coal into a furnace. All of a sudden, American forces start bombing Tokyo like crazy. Because there was an atomic bomb dropped, the Emperor of Japan surrenders to America.
When Henry gets home to Duluth, Minnesota, he finds out that his grandfather has died and that his father lives in a bar. He gets money from his neighbors and buys a truck. He then says his final goodbye to his father, and heads to Texas. There, he asks his buddy, Gunnery Sergeant Jack McAdams (Gunny) if he can have a job on his farm.
I really liked this book and can't wait to read another of Spradlin's books. This book is appropriate for anybody in middle school or higher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2017
2.5 stars
Prisoner of War is about the war experience of a fictional young man named Henry “Tree” Forrest and his experiences as an extremely underage and impetuous serviceman imprisoned a Pacific POW camp during World War II. Henry makes friends with his commanding officer, Gunny, and some of the other POWs, and they go through the trials of being a POW for the entire war, trying as hard as they can to survive and fight back. The story is interesting, but it was a bit bland, nothing new in here. It was the oft-repeated story of the truly awful captors being eventually defeated by the righteous “little guy.” There was not much new here, but I do not know if it can ever be said too often that war sucks and that the military is not to be glorified, but respected. Tree was an emotional boy, and I found it hard to relate to him because he did not really have any other characteristics besides his impulsiveness and his over-selflessness. The other characters were all the same. I find it extremely hard to believe that not a single Allied soldier would have done anything treacherous, so the book makes the Japanese too villainous and the Allies too perfect. I do not think most young kids reading this would notice these problems because you would have to be reading quite analytically to notice these, so if your child likes war stories, he/she would probably like this, but if you don’t know, there are plenty of better stories like this out there.
Received this book through the BookParade program in exchange for a review.
Prisoner of War is about the war experience of a fictional young man named Henry “Tree” Forrest and his experiences as an extremely underage and impetuous serviceman imprisoned a Pacific POW camp during World War II. Henry makes friends with his commanding officer, Gunny, and some of the other POWs, and they go through the trials of being a POW for the entire war, trying as hard as they can to survive and fight back. The story is interesting, but it was a bit bland, nothing new in here. It was the oft-repeated story of the truly awful captors being eventually defeated by the righteous “little guy.” There was not much new here, but I do not know if it can ever be said too often that war sucks and that the military is not to be glorified, but respected. Tree was an emotional boy, and I found it hard to relate to him because he did not really have any other characteristics besides his impulsiveness and his over-selflessness. The other characters were all the same. I find it extremely hard to believe that not a single Allied soldier would have done anything treacherous, so the book makes the Japanese too villainous and the Allies too perfect. I do not think most young kids reading this would notice these problems because you would have to be reading quite analytically to notice these, so if your child likes war stories, he/she would probably like this, but if you don’t know, there are plenty of better stories like this out there.
Received this book through the BookParade program in exchange for a review.
December 9, 2019
“Prisoner of war” by Michael P. Spradlin
I would recommend reading this book because it's a great story about resilience and brotherhood. It shows you have to keep fighting when`situations get tough.Prisoner of War was about Henry a kid from a small farm town. His father constantly beat him and Henry thought the only way to escape was to join the Marines. His grandfather helped him join by vouching for him that he was eighteen, even though he was only fifteen. He was really tall for his age and the recruiter believed them. He went to basic training and immediately had second thoughts. He and his unit were on an island in the Pacific waiting for further orders when a big battle erupted. The general then surrendered. Henry then explained the struggles of being a POW such as hunger, sickness, and loneliness. His short temper always seems to cause him trouble. How will Henry and his friend escape the cruelty of their Japanese captors and what happens for Henry when and if he returns home.
I thought this book was alright. I liked that the book hod adventure of being away from home. I also liked the maturity that Henry had to get in order to survive the war. One thing I didn't like was the end. Connections in the book are when his mother passes away and his father beats him. People go through situations like that everyday. This book is a good fit for people who like war or people who like to read motivational books. People who were in the wars or people in the army today might like this book.
I would recommend reading this book because it's a great story about resilience and brotherhood. It shows you have to keep fighting when`situations get tough.Prisoner of War was about Henry a kid from a small farm town. His father constantly beat him and Henry thought the only way to escape was to join the Marines. His grandfather helped him join by vouching for him that he was eighteen, even though he was only fifteen. He was really tall for his age and the recruiter believed them. He went to basic training and immediately had second thoughts. He and his unit were on an island in the Pacific waiting for further orders when a big battle erupted. The general then surrendered. Henry then explained the struggles of being a POW such as hunger, sickness, and loneliness. His short temper always seems to cause him trouble. How will Henry and his friend escape the cruelty of their Japanese captors and what happens for Henry when and if he returns home.
I thought this book was alright. I liked that the book hod adventure of being away from home. I also liked the maturity that Henry had to get in order to survive the war. One thing I didn't like was the end. Connections in the book are when his mother passes away and his father beats him. People go through situations like that everyday. This book is a good fit for people who like war or people who like to read motivational books. People who were in the wars or people in the army today might like this book.
January 18, 2018
Prisoner of War is about the war experience of a fictional young man named Henry “Tree” Forrest and his experiences as an extremely underage and impetuous serviceman imprisoned a Pacific POW camp during World War II. Henry makes friends with his commanding officer, Gunny, and some of the other POWs, and they go through the trials of being a POW for the entire war, trying as hard as they can to survive and fight back. The story is interesting, but it was a bit bland, nothing new in here. It was the oft-repeated story of the truly awful captors being eventually defeated by the righteous “little guy.” There was not much new here, but I do not know if it can ever be said too often that war sucks and that the military is not to be glorified, but respected. Tree was an emotional boy, and I found it hard to relate to him because he did not really have any other characteristics besides his impulsiveness and his over-selflessness. The other characters were all the same. I find it extremely hard to believe that not a single Allied soldier would have done anything treacherous, so the book makes the Japanese too villainous and the Allies too perfect. I do not think most young kids reading this would notice these problems because you would have to be reading quite analytically to notice these, so if your child likes war stories, he/she would probably like this, but if you don’t know, there are plenty of better stories like this out there.
Nathan P, 15, Delaware Valley Mensa
Nathan P, 15, Delaware Valley Mensa
December 15, 2019
In the book Prisoner of War, Michael P. Spradlin depicts the struggle of a young boy named Henry, trying to escape the constant terror in his life. If you enjoy stories of war and struggle, you would love this book.
Henry is a boy a couple years under the age of 18 who is struggling to be free from his father’s cruelty in the time of World War II. He is desperate to run away, and lies about his age to join the Marines. Shortly after, his unit is shipped to the Philippines, where the conditions are almost unbearable. Without any Marine training, Henry is left vulnerable. Even worse, the island of the base Henry is on has almost nothing left; no food, guns, supplies. All of it has been used, and the US has yet to send any back-up. The Japanese easily found out, and after one attempted attack, decide to let the US base starve before making their move. After Henry thought that matters couldn’t get worse, he learns the devastating strategic move his colonel has made. It causes Henry to lose his friends, his weapons, and any hope of surviving.
Following the story of Henry’s struggle to survive creates a fast-paced book that never gets boring. This is definitely a book worth reading!
Henry is a boy a couple years under the age of 18 who is struggling to be free from his father’s cruelty in the time of World War II. He is desperate to run away, and lies about his age to join the Marines. Shortly after, his unit is shipped to the Philippines, where the conditions are almost unbearable. Without any Marine training, Henry is left vulnerable. Even worse, the island of the base Henry is on has almost nothing left; no food, guns, supplies. All of it has been used, and the US has yet to send any back-up. The Japanese easily found out, and after one attempted attack, decide to let the US base starve before making their move. After Henry thought that matters couldn’t get worse, he learns the devastating strategic move his colonel has made. It causes Henry to lose his friends, his weapons, and any hope of surviving.
Following the story of Henry’s struggle to survive creates a fast-paced book that never gets boring. This is definitely a book worth reading!
May 23, 2017
Prisoner of War was about Henry a kid from a small farm town. His father constantly beat him and Henry thought the only way to escape was to join the Marines. His grandfather helped him join by vouching for him that he was eighteen even though he was only fifteen. He was really tall for his age and the recruiter believed them. He went to basic training and immediately had second thoughts. He and his unit were on an island in the Pacific waiting for further orders when a big battle erupted. The general then surrendered. Henry then explained the struggles of being a POW such as hunger, sickness, and loneliness. His short temper seems to always cause him trouble. How will Henry and his friend escape the cruelty of their Japanese captors and what happens for Henry when and if he returns home.
I thought this book was alright. I liked that the book hod adventure of being away from home. I also liked the maturity that Henry had to get in order to survive the war. One thing I didn't like was the end.
I would recommended this book to kids who liked the other POW book we read in history and people who want to learn more about life in a prisoner of war camp or Japan during WWII.
I thought this book was alright. I liked that the book hod adventure of being away from home. I also liked the maturity that Henry had to get in order to survive the war. One thing I didn't like was the end.
I would recommended this book to kids who liked the other POW book we read in history and people who want to learn more about life in a prisoner of war camp or Japan during WWII.
October 19, 2017
The book Prisoner of War by Michael P. Spradlin is a great book. Its a book that is about a 15 year old kid named Henry, who is scared of his dad because, his dad would get mad about his wife dying them take it out on Henry. Henry then leaves and joins the Marines. When he joins the Marines he gets captured by the Japanese. Read the book to see what happens to Henry.
In my opinion the book was really good. I liked how the story was told. How realistic the book was. Also it was easy to visualize everything that happened in the story. You could tell actually how the characters felt, and there was some funny parts. If there was anything I had to change I would put the meaning of some words in. For example the Japanese would speak Japanese and you wouldn't be able to understand them.
If I had to recommend this book to anyone I would recommend this to middle school and high schoolers. There is a lot of violence in the book. The Japanese would torture, kill, or beat anyone who disobey their rules. Also if you didn't understand how WW2 went down you might not understand the book as much. Finally if you don't want to hear about people dying then you might not want to read this book.
In my opinion the book was really good. I liked how the story was told. How realistic the book was. Also it was easy to visualize everything that happened in the story. You could tell actually how the characters felt, and there was some funny parts. If there was anything I had to change I would put the meaning of some words in. For example the Japanese would speak Japanese and you wouldn't be able to understand them.
If I had to recommend this book to anyone I would recommend this to middle school and high schoolers. There is a lot of violence in the book. The Japanese would torture, kill, or beat anyone who disobey their rules. Also if you didn't understand how WW2 went down you might not understand the book as much. Finally if you don't want to hear about people dying then you might not want to read this book.
January 24, 2018
The plot is that Henry has only one parent and that is his father. His father is abusive and hurts him. He quits school and join the marines he is under age so he has his gram pa say that he is 18.He gets in and is sent to the Philippines. He gets captured and has to go through pow camps and the death march to Bataan. He faces many hardships but pulls through.
Henry makes several friends while he was in the marines and in pow. His one friend Jams is higher ranging and has a girl to come home to. Henry is low ranking and had no one to talk to besides his dad that would hurt him. Jams and Henry are both in the marines and caused small riots to the Japs. Sadly Jams dies on an unknown Island but Henry survives and lives on sad because he could not save Jams.
I really liked this book because I have been wanting to read about how japan treated prisoners. In Japanese camps 40% would die. However in Germany in their pow camps had a 4% death rate. I really like this book because It does not take out any details pertaining to Henry. It tells the story like fiction but has the facts of a text book except their platoon squad and regiment.
Henry makes several friends while he was in the marines and in pow. His one friend Jams is higher ranging and has a girl to come home to. Henry is low ranking and had no one to talk to besides his dad that would hurt him. Jams and Henry are both in the marines and caused small riots to the Japs. Sadly Jams dies on an unknown Island but Henry survives and lives on sad because he could not save Jams.
I really liked this book because I have been wanting to read about how japan treated prisoners. In Japanese camps 40% would die. However in Germany in their pow camps had a 4% death rate. I really like this book because It does not take out any details pertaining to Henry. It tells the story like fiction but has the facts of a text book except their platoon squad and regiment.
December 9, 2022
First sentence: When my mom died, my home became a war zone. And my father was the enemy. Surly and resentful, he took out his anger on me. It's ironic that to escape one war, I ran away and found another. But it wasn't a war I chose. It was chosen for me.
Premise/plot: Henry Forrest enlists in the Marines though he is underage. With a little help from his grandfather, he lies about his age and joins up. [I believe he is fourteen, possibly fifteen.] He comes of age during the war. What he couldn't predict when he enlisted was that he'd end up a prisoner of war...
My thoughts: I don't read much world war II fiction set on the Pacific front. Well, in comparison to the European front, I should add. This one was heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. I loved the relationships in this book. I loved Henry's relationships/friendships with his fellow marines and/or fellow prisoners. I loved, loved, loved the found-family aspect of this one. It kept some hope alive in the novel. I loved the ending.
Premise/plot: Henry Forrest enlists in the Marines though he is underage. With a little help from his grandfather, he lies about his age and joins up. [I believe he is fourteen, possibly fifteen.] He comes of age during the war. What he couldn't predict when he enlisted was that he'd end up a prisoner of war...
My thoughts: I don't read much world war II fiction set on the Pacific front. Well, in comparison to the European front, I should add. This one was heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. I loved the relationships in this book. I loved Henry's relationships/friendships with his fellow marines and/or fellow prisoners. I loved, loved, loved the found-family aspect of this one. It kept some hope alive in the novel. I loved the ending.
December 16, 2019
Colby Witchey
12/09/19
Book review
I would recommend the novel Prisoners Of War. It is a historical fiction book written by Micheal P. Spradlin. I recommend this book to others because it could be a real life situation that I can see happening in life. No, I’m not that big into historic war novels but this one actually caught my attention early in the story. The main character Henry changes a lot throughout the story. The way the story is detailed with all the action in the story couldn’t be any better. There are a lot of tragic events going on throughout the story. Knowing there is going to be another event soon in the book makes you want to keep reading. For anybody that is into action, historical, and war books this is the right one for you! Some people may find this book meaningful if you can relate in a certain way. In conclusion, I do recommend this book to any reader’s looking for a short action historical war book.
12/09/19
Book review
I would recommend the novel Prisoners Of War. It is a historical fiction book written by Micheal P. Spradlin. I recommend this book to others because it could be a real life situation that I can see happening in life. No, I’m not that big into historic war novels but this one actually caught my attention early in the story. The main character Henry changes a lot throughout the story. The way the story is detailed with all the action in the story couldn’t be any better. There are a lot of tragic events going on throughout the story. Knowing there is going to be another event soon in the book makes you want to keep reading. For anybody that is into action, historical, and war books this is the right one for you! Some people may find this book meaningful if you can relate in a certain way. In conclusion, I do recommend this book to any reader’s looking for a short action historical war book.
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