War and Millie McGonigle

by Karen Cushman

Millie McGonigle lives in sunny California, where her days are filled with beach and surf. It should be perfect--but times are tough. Hitler is attacking Europe and it looks like the United States may be going to war. Food is rationed and money is tight. And Millie's sickly little sister gets all the attention and couldn't be more of a pain if she tried. It's all Millie can do to stay calm and feel in control.

Still--there's sand beneath her feet. A new neighbor from the city, who has a lot to teach Millie. And surfer boy Rocky to admire--even if she doesn't have the guts to talk to him.

It's a time of sunshine, siblings, and stress. Will Millie be able to find her way in her family, and keep her balance as the world around her loses its own?

The Newbery Award-winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice tells a heartfelt and humorous story of WWII on the homefront.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, War, Historical, World War II, Childrens, Fiction

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2021

About the author

Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois.

She entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later earned master’s degrees in human behavior and museum studies.

For eleven years she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time.

She lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip.

(source: http://karencushman.com/about/bio.html & http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/findin...)

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a historical fiction middle grade. This book we follow a young girl named Millie, and this book take places during WWII. This book gives us a kids view of the USA during WWII. I found most of this book very neat, but some of the book was boring or just weird. I also do not think my daughter would want to read this book. Overall, I found this book just ok. I did find the characters fun to follow. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Knopf Books for Young Readers) or author (Karen Cushman) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been familiar with Karen Cushman's name for a while because of her award winning Catherine, Called Birdy; however, this is my first book by her. For a historical fiction, this was just okay. I was expecting a little more. CW: animal death, character obsession with death

War and Millie McGonigle follows Millie who lives in Southern California. Her parents are attempting to readjust to life after the depression and so Millie and her family live a pretty simplistic life with a tight budget. To make matters worse, Hitler has invaded Europe and there is a strong possibility that US may be going to war.

What Worked: The exploration of grief in this was great. Prior to the beginning of the novel, Millie has lost her grandmother and is having a tough time coping with it. As a result, she develops an obsession with death that some people may consider to be morbid. But as someone who has also lost their grandmother, I recognize that people process grief in unique ways. It takes Millie the course of the book to realize that maybe the way in which she has been grieving isn't what her grandmother intended for her. I also loved that Millie was so aware of the war. Many people didn't realize the gravity of Hitler's domination of Europe until it was too late.

What Didn't Work: This book was a drag in so many sections. I actually had to put the book down several times because I completely lost interest. Granted, I'm not the intended audience so there is a strong possibility that an actual middle grader reader will find it interesting and engaging. For me, the writing wasn't strong enough to create a plot and characters that remained compelling. I think that because of the nature of the book I was expecting something a little more high stakes. Unfortunately, this definitely relied more on the characters than the plot.

Overall, this was an okay read. I'm interested in picking up more by this author. I would say that this is for readers who are interested in historical fiction, but more from the perspective of character development than plot development.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good middle-grade read about life on the home front during WW2. Specifically, about life on the West Coast and how fears of German attacks cast a dark shadow. The three stars is for the specific, often graphic details about the deceased creatures Molly finds for her “Book of Dead Things”. This element really took away from the story for me.
*I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions and reviews are strictly my own.*

[Literary Redhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing hf middle grade coming-of-age story set in WWII San Diego. Readers can relate to 12-year-old Millie, living in an uncertain time in history. She’s also coping with the loss of her beloved grandmother, family struggles, a needy sick sister, and the challenges of being a pre-teen. A compelling fresh twist on recent WWII fiction.

4 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 06 Apr 2021
#WarandMillieMcGonigle #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Random House Children's, and to NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's Publisher for the opportunity read this title ahead of it's April 6, 2021 publication date.

12 year old Millie has just lost her Gram, the family is trying to recover from losing their store during the Great Depression, her younger sister is sickly, and the war in Europe is edging ever closer to her San Diego, CA home. At lot for a 12 yr. old to navigate. As she struggles to find her place without her trusted Gram, Millie discovers that even in the toughest of times, beauty can be found, if you choose to see it.

The setting and eclectic cast of characters kept the story moving along, although to this adult reader several of characters sounded slightly too mature for their ages, especially Millie and Pete (younger brother). However, for the intended audience, I think readers will enjoy this historical fiction novel.

[Christina Trevino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I loved this. I don’t typically read a ton of YA books, but as a school librarian, this one came through my checkout counter. I knew I had to read it. I loved Millie. I loved her character changing through the story. I loved her experience with the BOOK OF THE DEAD. And I loved her love for her Gram. I loved my grandmother too and still feel a empty spot from her loss over two years ago.
I love how Millie realized how much she cared for her sister….instead of only seeing her as a pill.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

First sentence: George lifted the slimy creature to his mouth and bit it right between the eyes. I’d seen him and the other Portuguese octopus fishermen do that a hundred times, but it still made me shudder. “Doesn’t that taste muddy and disgusting?” “Nah,” he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Only salty. I told you, this way he don’t die but only sleeps, stays fresh ’til he’s cooked.” George threw the octopus into a bucket and slid over to another hole in the mud.

Premise/plot: War and Millie McGonigle is a coming of age middle grade historical novel set in California in late 1941 and early 1942. Our heroine, Millie McGonigle, is struggling. Why? Perhaps the better question may be why not?!?! Her grandmother has died. Her sister, Lily, is sick and "stealing" all the attention and love of her parents. Horrible things are happening around the world. What if America enters the war? What if there are really Japanese or German spies?

Millie takes all her anxiety and directs it to her BOOK OF DEATH. Yes, this young heroine likes to make a list of the dead and/or to draw the dead she discovers. She strolls along the beach and sketches all the dead things she finds. (And she's sure to make a great first impression on all the new people she meets as she interrogates them to find out if anyone has died lately so she can record it for her book.)

My thoughts: The cover isn't nearly morbid enough to match the contents of this weird coming of age novel. (If I'm being honest I feel the cover is being intentionally deceptive.) Millie is obsessed with death. OBSESSED.

Her parents don't seem to notice how morbid their daughter has become since the grandma's death. Perhaps because authentically enough the whole family is struggling emotionally and mentally. It's the Depression. They're barely barely making enough money to get by. They eat fish every single day. And one of their daughters is sickly and always needing extra care, extra attention, extra money. Again they are broke, broke, super broke. So perhaps the fact that they're not really connected enough to notice Millie's morbidity isn't all that surprising.

So the whole book is about Millie drawing dead things (like dead dogs, dead octopi, dead flowers, etc.) and making lists of dead people.

It stays dark for so long--despite the cheerful looking cover--that when Millie does finally, finally, finally see some hope for the future....you may be out of patience.

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This book has a disturbing BEYOND DISTURBING hideously EVIL AND WRONG chapter where her brother brings her a DEAD AND DECAYING DOG that he and his friend have dug up to bring her so that she has something new to draw for her book. Think about it. DISTURBING on so many levels. Even worse is that this is a detailed, descriptive chapter so if you have even the teeny tiniest liking for dogs you'd be disgusted, outraged, and ready to throw the book across the room.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming and often funny. Great readalike to Full of Beans by Jennifer L Holm.

[Becky Ginther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was different, interesting, thought provoking, and had good characters. It definitely would have been a 5 star book for me if it was not for one specific thing which I'll mention later.

It's 1941, WWII is on the horizon, and Millie is coping with the death of her beloved Gram.

I liked the setting/time period of this book. I enjoy historical fiction and there's tons of middle grade WWII out there, but some of the most interesting ones now are people and kids coping with the war who aren't necessarily right in the middle of it. Millie and her family live in San Diego, so while they're not in Germany it's still very much affecting every part of their lives and looming over them.

I also relate a bit to Millie. She's sort of an odd character but lots of kids have weird quirks. I was a pretty nervous kid growing up and especially fearful of death. So Millie's sort of fear and fascination with death is understandable, especially given the time period and her circumstances. She's just lost her grandmother, the war is coming, and polio is taking the lives of children. I think I also would have been pretty scared or paranoid if I was in her situation. Her fear does sometimes manifest itself in odd ways, but I thought it was interesting.

It was interesting to read about how kids (and adults) might suffer with mental health issues but it’s mostly ignored back then, unlike today when we would go to a therapist. Instead of getting cousin Edna help she’s just called “simple” and they hope that a decent guy will come along to take care of her. There are a lot of red flags in Millie's life as well that today would probably be handled differently. I really felt for her as she struggled with a younger sister who is sickly and a mom who often ignores Millie to deal with her sister. At only 12 Millie had a lot of expectations placed on her.

A lot of the themes are about family, death, and grief. In some ways many of the themes are fascinating in a subtle way - you're not beaten over the head with them and I don't know if kids will pick up on everything. In some ways this feels more like an "adult" book in that sense. I'll be curious to see what kids actually think of it.

One positive is that Millie makes a friendship and I thought the portrayal of this friendship was really nice. The two girls are pretty different, and it would have been easy to take a more cliche approach to their friendship, but this book didn't do that.

I'm not going to put up a spoiler warning because plenty of other people have mentioned this in their reviews, but there is a scene involving a dog that is frankly a bit disturbing. The worst part is that scene feels pretty unnecessary. You could easily skip that whole chapter and it wouldn't make much of a difference. I have plenty of kids at the library who see a dog involved in a story and will immediately ask me "does the dog die? I don't want to read it if it does." So including a scene like this is going to be an instant turn-off for a lot of people. I really think it's a shame because it doesn't contribute to the story enough to justify its inclusion, and the book has a lot to offer otherwise. But I think there will be plenty of people (both kids and adults) who don't read it because of this.

I listened to this one on audiobook and I thought the narration was very good. It was a little slow so I did speed it up to x1.1.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown up with classic films and a fascination with everything surrounding WWII (fashion, food, the historical context, the MOVIE STARS).....I enjoyed War and Millie McGonigle. She is a young girl struggle with the loss of the grandmother, the loss of a familiar world, dealing with rations and random family members moving in. Millie is all about "her book of dead things." In the hopes that by honoring what is dead she can keep WWII from her doorstep. And she can remember her Gran.

This book is about Millie's self discovery. Can she prevent bad things from happening? What good does complaining do? What makes a friend? What about her relationship with her siblings--are they really running the family?

What I appreciated was Millie discovering that while there is something about honoring the dead, she needs to focus on what is living. THAT is how you "beat the fear." I try to do this in my own personal life.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I the only person who reads historical fiction in shades of grey? I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I looked at the cover and was surprised by the colors. Millie’s story should be full of color! She has a personality as vibrant as the ocean. Her ornery, negative musings and attitude did get a bit excessive, but she came around enough by the end that I accepted the change as character growth rather then just an annoyance. I listened to the first half on audiobook and thought the narrator was an excellent fit for the characters. And, Christopher Columbus!, did I enjoy the lingo of the times! 😂

[Amanda F · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute, but so eye-opening. I never think about the children when world wide events happen, but this is a great look at what some children thought and how the war or looming idea of war affected them as they tried to live their lives in the midst of so much change. I highly recommend this book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In between reading historical fiction and mysteries and memoirs, I throw in a juvenile book now and then. I have stumbled across some magnificent audio books in this category with phenomenal narrators (Stockyard Chaning to name a good one!).
I would not rate this one as overly great. The narrator was a young girl and had super fun, over the top exclamations over life like "CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS!" or "GOOD GRAVY!" That was cute. It took place in San Fran around Pearl Harbor. All told from her child experience. A big topic and point in history but a fairly simple listen.

[Tamra Headrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting description of WII from the POV of a child. Living in San Diego, Millie and family, face health, money, and social challenges, as they prepare for an a looming attack by the Japanese. I am a fan of her historical fiction books for kids.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific book that gives an insight of how a child would have felt about World War II on the home front in the US.

It’s near the end of the depression and Millie’s family is trying to bounce back from that time. Millie has always been happy to be near the flats near the water by her in San Diego, exploring the area and seeing what kind of sea creatures are there. Things change after her grandmother died. She was very close to her. Her grandmother lived nearby and she always visited her grandmother. She misinterpreted a message her grandmother left for her before she died, to keep track things that were lost in her journal. She interprets that to be dead things. And she ends up being very sad about that and worried and sad when she hears about the war. There are other changes for her too, a distant relative, who’s a little offbeat, moves in with them and her best friend moves away.

Through the book by her family and her new friend, she learns how to adjust to all this difficult chances. It was a heartwarming and interesting read. I definitely recommend it for ages 8-12.

[Yapha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slice of life novel about 1940s San Diego and the start of the US involvement in WWII. More of a character study as Millie comes to terms with her grandmother's death and the changes that the war is bringing to her community. For grades 4 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

[Emory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read by my favorite children’s author. I can say that I definitely prefer her books set in the Middle Ages, but I could appreciate her lending her distinct voice to this story. I have to take into account that I am not the target audience for this story. 3.5 stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

We meet the main character, Millie, just before the U.S. enters WWII. Millie lives in SanDiego CA where there is a major U.S. navel base. She is anxious about the war news, the Depression, family dynamics, her sickly sister, and neighborhood bullies. Overshadowing everything else, Millie's beloved gram has recently died--on Millie's birthday!
The novel reveals day to day life of the 1940's in southern CA. It also introduces the reader to the wonders of the bay and the Pacific as seen from the beaches of SanDiego. Nature becomes a major factor in dealing with Millie's anxiety.
Those looking for war action or a spy thriller will be disappointed. The story deals with Millie's interior conflict and grief much more than the dynamics of world powers. Readers will learn about life as a child on the home front when neighbors went off to war, women took factory jobs, children collected rubber and metal scraps, and everyone listened to the radio for news.
Because of the cover art, girls will be more likely to read this book than boys.
Recommended for upper elementary to middle school readers.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of WAR AND MILLIE MCGONIGLE is that it exudes a very strong sense of place. It brings Mission Beach in the 1940's to vivid life, evoking the sights, smells, and sounds that must have pervaded it then. Cushman also creates a vibrant community of colorful characters, including the flawed but lovable McGonigle family. Because it all seems so authentic, it's easy to feel what Millie & Co. are feeling as war comes home to them—worry, panic, paranoia, fear, grief, etc.

For me, the big problem with the novel is that it has no real plot. Millie doesn't have a story goal to keep the story focused, so it meanders around without a solid direction. This made the tale sag in places and veer off course in others. What results is an uneven narrative that didn't engage me quite like I wanted it to. It felt almost like the beginning of an unfinished story, like a first book in a series maybe. Which isn't to say I disliked the book. It just didn't engage and move me as much as MG WWII fiction usually does. For me, WAR AND MILLIE MCGONIGLE was just an okay read.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millie McGonigle keeps a notebook filled with lists and drawings of dead things and superstitiously and compulsively writes her family’s last name in the sand, hoping that will somehow keep them safe from the coming war. Grief very nearly overcomes her, but slowly, new friend Rosie, neighbors both friendly and not so much, plus greater understanding of her family begin to work together to allow Millie to see the good in the life surrounding her. Readers may struggle to keep reading as the gloom continues, but Cushman interjects bits of hope and joy and by the end, that message sings out loud and clear. Target audience is likely grades 5-8 and those who enjoy historical fiction and books with a more serious theme. Thanks for the dARC, Edelweiss.

[Abby Johnson]

A California tween with anxiety navigates a changing world as the United States enters WWII. Hand it to readers of Turtle in Paradise who appreciate humor that tempers a bleak historical time period.

[chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read by Cushman. A little twee for my taste at times, and I found Peter (Millie's younger brother) annoying in a way that I'm not sure was intended.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1941 and life has been difficult for Millie McGonigle''s family lately. First, there was the Depression. Her dad lost his job, and still hasn't found one. Younger sister Lily is sickly with lung problems and takes up all her mother's attention, while younger brother Pete, 5, wants all of Millie's attention. Then the war started in Eurpoe and Millie began worrying that the Nazis might just come over to San Diego and drop their bombs. To make matters worse, on Millie's twelfth birthday her beloved Gram Tillie suddenly passed away, but not before she gave Millie a blank notebook and told her "Things that seem lost or dead - keep them alive and safe in your book. Whatever is lost stays alive if we remember it." And so Millie turned her notebook into The Book of Dead Things, Mission Beach, San Diego, Californiz, 1941. Now, Millie combs the beach looking for all kinds of dead things to draw in her book.
And then the news that Gram's cousin Edna would be coming to live with the McGonigle's and Millie would have to share her bed with her. Edna is a little off center, seemingly unaware of what's going on around her and that there is a war happening. One good thing that happens is the her nemesis Dicky (Icky) Fribble's aunt and cousin Rosie move in with his family. Rosie is older than Millie, but the two girls hit it off immediately.

Then Pearl Harbor is attacked and everything changes again. Her dad gets a job as a clerk in the Navy Exchange, unable to join the army because of a heart murmur, and her mom begins welding school. Now, there are air raid drills in school, heavy black curtains on the windows at night, and rationing. Soon, kids are playing war games and collecting metal, fat and newspapers for the war effort. And, of course, Japanese hatred soon rears its ugly head in none other than Icky Fribble and his mother. Through it all, Millie continues to add drawings of dead things to her notebook.

War and Millie McGonigle is such an interesting story. It takes place between Saturday, September 20, 1941 and Sunday, February 28, 1942, mimicking Millie's diary entries, so most accountings are on Saturday and Sunday, with only a few on weekdays.

Millie is a sensitive character, who wallows in grievances, afraid to let go and enjoy life, because what if... But, over the course of the novel, she begins to change and watching that happen at the pivotal age between childhood and being a teen is what makes her so interesting. Add a war to that time, and you have a lively, endearing character. And while Millie's obsession with her The Book of Dead Things sounds rather morbid at first, it becomes an exploration of what to value in life for her.

Readers will find plenty of daily home front details in this character driven novel. But my favorite aspect of the book is that it is set at the beach at a time when it was not such an attraction for tourists. In that respect, it will remind readers of Jennifer L. Holms' books Turtle in Paradise and Full of Beans, even though they take place in Key West, Florida. They all share the same salty air, smelly seaweed, cawing seagulls atmosphere that is so beachy. Cushman has really nailed the setting aspect of the novel.

Hand this to readers interested in historical fiction, WWII, tween girls, and anyone looking for a good home front story.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an eBook gratefully received from NetGalley

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poverty of the Great Depression and lead up to WWII has crushed much of the life out of Millie McGonigle's family. Her grandmother died and Millie feels the loss keenly, recording all the dead things she finds in Mission Beach in her little book. Her father lost his regular job and Millie feels pressured to comb the beach or fish or do something, anything, to help feed the family. She'd prefer to bring home anything other than perch, which she's sick to death of, but that's what the Bay provides, despite most of her attempts to find something else.

To make matters worse, Cousin Edna, who lives with them, has vaguely pro-German Nazi sentiments and is constantly defending the Germans and Hitler's aggressions in Europe. Much to Millie's embarrassment, people think her aunt could be a German spy.

Millie and a neighbor boy, Richard, whom she calls "Icky" (Millie's not always the nicest character), exchange barbs and pranks. In the midst of it all, Millie meets a new girl, Rosemary Fribble, whose mother is sick, but she's daring and walks the beach in nice clothes and eats bacon and peanut butter sandwiches. They spend time admiring the beach life, aka Rocky, a local 20-something surfer who's ripped (although they don't use that term) and quite the head-turner.

Millie tries to win money for the family by writing product jingles, little memorable ditties about various things for sale, and she wins a whole $5! Then her little sister Lilly gets sick and it all goes to pay the doctor. Millie tries to collect rubber and scrap metal, but folks are so poor there's nothing left to collect.

Anti-Japanese sentiments surge with the attack on Pearl Harbor and Millie learns, from watching her mother, how to stand up to bigots and do what she knows is right in her heart. In the end, her book of dead things is converted to a different kind of book, altogether.

It's not a typical WWII story for middle grade readers, but it does capture exceptionally well the milieu and the southern California setting. If you enjoyed Calpurnia Tate, you'll love this as well.

Enjoy!

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve year old Millie is hit hard with the sudden death of her grandma and fears of the war landing on American shores, but the book manages to not be all doom and gloom while exhibiting plenty of growth for Millie along the way.

I wasn’t sure about Grandma’s cousin Edna. Did she have the beginnings of dementia or just forgetfulness? Was she lucid when she admired Hitler and spewed terrible things to a seven year old? I just didn’t know what to make of her, if I was meant to find her antics humorous or distressing, there wasn’t enough clarity where she was concerned so I would have rather spent a little more time with either parent instead.

The 1940’s time period is really what attracted me to this one, there are plenty of adult books set in this era but not as many middle-grades, particularly not ones that take place stateside. This did not disappoint in giving me a sense of what it was like for a twelve year old in that time, especially her fears about war stoked by the radio and those around her and the family’s financial struggles caught between the depression and the war.

I also thought the setting itself, San Diego, was fantastically described with so much of Millie’s time spent outdoors exploring the beach and with nature playing such a pivotal role in her emotional arc.

I wonder if some readers might find Millie a little immature, especially in regards to her younger sister, but I think at that time (and really every decade prior to this one) kids tended to be a little more innocent and juvenile longer than we allow them to be right now. As for Millie’s relationship with her sister, Millie’s jealousy made so much sense to me, her grandmother had made up for losing one on one time with her mom, but in losing her grandma, losing the person who made her feel seen and heard, naturally she all the more envies the connection between her sister and her mom, it represents the relationships she lost with both her mom and her grandmother. I loved how ultimately we see a lot of growth for Millie in that area, the relationship between the sisters as well as Millie’s relationship with her mom, both ended up really satisfying.

[Virginia McGee Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As she has done so well before, Karen Cushman returns to history to set her novel, War and Millie McGonigle, in the place where her husband grew up. A young girl in San Diego during World War II turns out to deal with issues that will be remarkably timely. Chapter headings are dates with “September 20, 1941: Saturday” as the first. A reader with only a little knowledge of history can anticipate what will be coming. Karen looks at how a family and community and especially Millie live their everyday lives with the shadow of the war looming over them.

The book’s intriguing opening has Millie drawing an octopus in her Book of Dead Things. It joins six sand dollars, a faintly orange ghost shrimp, and a tiny sand crab. In her last day with her grandmother before her death, Gram had given Millie a diary for her birthday along with an admonition. Gram had seen Millie’s sadness over the radio, newspaper, and newsreel reports about the war with bombs, destruction, and dead soldiers. She tells Millie to write and draw in her book the things that seem lost and dead because what is lost stays alive if we remember it. Little did either of them know that was the last thing Gram would say to her.

A grieving Millie makes her way through a little sister’s illness that gets all the attention, taking in Gram’s stray cousin who has nowhere else to go, living in the Depression that makes a turn into war patriotism, losing the teacher she had anticipated to Uncle Sam’s draft, a new friend adjusting from living in the city, and a community caught up in its response to the war with its changes. Then there is the good-looking Rocky, but he doesn’t go into the dead book.

Millie continues her pictures of dead things, large and small, and signing “McGonigle” in the mud like artists and authors do, following her grandmother’s instructions until it occurs to her that her grandmother may have meant something entirely different. Karen Cushman fans and lovers of historical fiction will be well satisfied with this book.

[Mary Louise Sanchez]

While the book cover and title show that Millie will experience WII, in reality, we see her experiencing war within herself. She's jealous of the attention her parents give her sickly little sister and doesn't like having to share a bed with an older, cognitively impaired cousin. She's also sick of eating perch because it's plentiful where she lives in southern California, and her family is trying to recover from the Great Depression.

Most of all, Millie wishes her grandmother were still around to comfort her fears about a pending war. Grandma gave Millie a diary on her twelfth birthday to record, "Things that seem lost or dear--keep them alive and safe in your book." These were the last words Millie's grandmother told her. Millie takes these words to heart literally and records all the deaths she sees in the diary, which she names The Book of Dead Things, Mission Beach, San Diego, California, 1941. Later in the story, Millie rethinks what her grandmother was trying to say with the words, "Whatever is lost stays alive if we remember it."

I appreciate that the author gives us a picture of family life in America before Pearl Harbor, and she chronicles the Sundays in Millie's life from September 20, 1941 and ends on Saturday February 28, 1942. There is mention of Pearl Harbor, but that isn't the highlight of the story. Other historical details are embedded in the story to give the time period an authentic feel. One example is where the author mentions the community taking advantage of the situation where Japanese Americans had to leave their homes and sell items well below their value, but this fact is also not the focus of the story.

My favorite character was Edna and I wished the author had leaned more into her story, rather than the book of the dead.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
Historical fiction set in the early days of World War II.
Millie lives near San Diego and is obsessed with death. She keeps a book that lists dead people and dead things. She feels committed to this as her grandmother gave her this book before she died and told her to focus on the dead. Readers see her stay focused on this for much of the book.
The McGonicle family, like many at the time, were struggling with unemployment and poverty. We see this interpreted through Millie's eyes. In many ways, this is a growing up book with World War II as a the background. Readers see how Millie sees her place in the family and her complicated relationships with her younger siblings and her parents. She is a typical pre-teen of any period but the struggles are tailored to the 1940's timeframe. Her emotional struggles are made worse by her method of coping with her grandmother's death. She stays focused on death and is afraid to let this go for fear of more harm coming. With so much else happening, she does not get the support she needs to move forward in the grief process. Eventually, through a chance interaction at the beach, she comes to understand what her grandmother meant by remember the dead - celebrate the joy, remember their lives.
One chapter stands out as too graphic. When her brother brings the decaying dead dog home, that feels like a line crosser so the book only got 3-stars from me. The author's point could have been made in a less graphic manner.
Otherwise, a well thought out book with historical facts woven into Millie's story.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected to thoroughly enjoy this middle grade historical by Karen Cushman set on the home front during World War II; instead found myself quite grossed out and feeling slightly queasy during several chapters' worth of descriptions of dead and decaying things, most notably a dead dog. This is definitely a case of the book cover creating a very different vibe from the overall tone of the book. I do usually love quirky and odd characters, and Millie delivers on that level. Remembering my mother tell me about some of her extraordinarily odd collections from her supervision-free and TV-less childhood in the 1940's and the 1950's (she and a friend collected used condoms from a dead end street before they understood what they were; I kid you not) I was somewhat impressed by the verisimilitude of depicting Millie's somewhat ghoulish obsession with dead things...and yet as a reader, I did not at all enjoy the descriptive passages.

That said, War and Millie McGonigle definitely has a strong sense of place on the WWII American homefront, from fear of polio to pervasive racism about Japanese Americans, and its exploration of childhood grief is powerful. It is part of my elementary library collection and has been taken out mostly on the strength of its cover art, but I don't hear it recommended often by students and I can't say I would very strongly recommend it to other librarians.

I listened to the audiobook many months ago and confess I recall little about it, but I'd have remembered it if the narration dramatically turned me off, so it must have been okay.

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millie is having a rough time. She misses her Gram, who died recently and now she's stuck with her family and little money and Aunt Edna comes to live with them and stinks up everything with her perfume. Millie is also nervous about war, which is happening on the other side of the globe, but maybe it will come to Mission Beach? When we meet Millie, she is writing things down in her book of dead things that Gram told her to keep to remember people and things who have gone. Only it's making her morbid and her sister is scared of her and Millie is scared of war and it isn't helping.

But somehow, Millie finds a friend in another girl down the street who is tortured by the same kid she is and learns a little more about the world through her shenanigans. I really love how this book portrays Millie's relationship with her sick sister, who she thinks is a pill but deep down, she really loves her.

This book goes through the bombing of Pearl Harbor and slightly beyond so you can see how the war effort changes everything. It is scary, but it gives Millie's parents both jobs and more money for them to eat, even if there is rationing. Millie is in the end a character you grow to love and root for.