What do you think?
Rate this book
The Good War
A middle school must-read that exposes the anti-Semitism in our country today! From the author of The Wave comes a poignant and timely novel about a group of seventh graders who are brought together—and then torn apart—by an afterschool club that plays a video game based on WW2. There's a new afterschool club at Ironville Middle School.Ms. Peterson is starting a video game club where the students will playing The Good War, a new game based on World War II. They are divided into two Axis and Allies, and they will be simulating a war they know nothing about yet. Only one team will win. But what starts out as friendly competition, takes an unexpected turn for the worst when an one player takes the game too far. Can an afterschool club change the way the students see eachother...and how they see the world?"By using a gaming lens to explore the students’ entrée to prejudice and radicalization, he succeeds in lending immediacy and accessibility to his cautionary tale."—Kirkus Reviews
173 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2021
11 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Todd Strasser
224 books799 followersTodd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 26, 2021
Phew! This one was hard to pin down to a review.
The idea of middle-schoolers playing a game in which they are either “Allied forces” or “Axis powers” was rather chilling. I suppose such games would be better played in a school environment, with adult guidance.
Many facts about WW2 were detailed throughout, and there was a strong message about kids and the dangers of interacting with strangers on the internet. This would be a great book for middle-grade and high-school classrooms.
The idea of middle-schoolers playing a game in which they are either “Allied forces” or “Axis powers” was rather chilling. I suppose such games would be better played in a school environment, with adult guidance.
Many facts about WW2 were detailed throughout, and there was a strong message about kids and the dangers of interacting with strangers on the internet. This would be a great book for middle-grade and high-school classrooms.
March 6, 2021
Middle grades novel about a new esports club at school run by clueless teachers. The kids end up playing a rated-M game about World War II, and some of them start to become fascinated by Nazi ideology and white supremacy.
Book is fast paced. Some of the dialogue doesn't sound like real kids. Also, it's downright strange that none of the teachers is familiar with any video games. The teachers in their fifties would remember Atari games, and the ones younger that that would remember PlayStation and Sega. And the teachers in their twenties and thirties probably played Mario Kart or first-person shooters or both. Even the teachers who didn't consider themselves gamers would probably be familiar with Wii Fit, plus they would know video games because their kids and grandkids played. So that part didn't ring true. But overall this is an interesting, propulsive read.
Book is fast paced. Some of the dialogue doesn't sound like real kids. Also, it's downright strange that none of the teachers is familiar with any video games. The teachers in their fifties would remember Atari games, and the ones younger that that would remember PlayStation and Sega. And the teachers in their twenties and thirties probably played Mario Kart or first-person shooters or both. Even the teachers who didn't consider themselves gamers would probably be familiar with Wii Fit, plus they would know video games because their kids and grandkids played. So that part didn't ring true. But overall this is an interesting, propulsive read.
November 22, 2020
I’m giving this book five stars even though I had a few problems with it. I wish they had a 4.5-star rating, but since they don’t, it gets five stars because it’s about the dangerous allure of pernicious ideas for kids who don’t really understand what’s behind them. This book raises important questions: Why care about those ethnicities who don’t live anywhere near you? Why care about a religion when no one you personally know is a member of it? Why does it matter what happened in a war 80 or 90 years ago in a country 4,000 miles away? One way I think that you can answer that question is with a quote from Winston Churchill: “Those who do not learn form history are condemned to repeat it.” (I always thought it was “doomed to repeat it.” Same idea.)
What’s clever about this book is that Strasser sets it in an after-school eGaming club, which should interest that cadre of kids who might not be big readers. The game they play is set in World War Two and one side plays the Axis side while the other is the Allied. That conflict becomes the launching pad for everything that follows. Strasser uses this to introduce kids to the origins of some of today’s hate speech and hate groups.
The setting, a small town called Ironville, feels very homogeneous, which I didn’t entirely care for. But I suspect the author was hamstrung in that respect. Such homogenous places are probably a more likely breeding ground for the kind of intolerance, falsities and conspiracy theories that he is trying to expose and combat.
The story reads quickly and smoothly, and, except for a few place, doesn’t get bogged down in exposition or lecturing. The tension builds to a dramatically satisfying conclusion, though I had a problem with how the climax comes about. No spoilers here, but I think some readers will see what I mean. However, none of that was anywhere near enough to detract from the important information and message the book presents.
I received the ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What’s clever about this book is that Strasser sets it in an after-school eGaming club, which should interest that cadre of kids who might not be big readers. The game they play is set in World War Two and one side plays the Axis side while the other is the Allied. That conflict becomes the launching pad for everything that follows. Strasser uses this to introduce kids to the origins of some of today’s hate speech and hate groups.
The setting, a small town called Ironville, feels very homogeneous, which I didn’t entirely care for. But I suspect the author was hamstrung in that respect. Such homogenous places are probably a more likely breeding ground for the kind of intolerance, falsities and conspiracy theories that he is trying to expose and combat.
The story reads quickly and smoothly, and, except for a few place, doesn’t get bogged down in exposition or lecturing. The tension builds to a dramatically satisfying conclusion, though I had a problem with how the climax comes about. No spoilers here, but I think some readers will see what I mean. However, none of that was anywhere near enough to detract from the important information and message the book presents.
I received the ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2021
This is upper middle grade, veering into YA, about a 7th grade Esports club that plays a game based on WWII. Things go very poorly when racist jokes and imagery follow from kids on the Axis team identifying with Nazis, while also clearly not understanding the horror of WWII and what happened. So this tackles a lot of timely, serious subjects, but using gaming as a hook into them which is smart. A lot of kids will be interested in the cover and the description of the book. I thought the resolution was a little too neat, and because this focuses on a lot of characters it could feel a little jumpy. But it's a short read, on an appealing topic, with a good message, and I think a lot of kids would be into it.
May 24, 2021
I was in college taking a Propaganda course when I read Todd Strasser's The Wave. It's a story about how readily people will give up their individual rights and personal freedom to become part of a dominating peer group in a classroom experiment designed to show students how Germans were persuaded to support Nazism. It was a simplified experiment, but the part that Strasser got right was that we are all responsible for our own actions and to question a leader and never follow him blindly. Now, we have The Good War in which Strasser gives readers a somewhat updated version of The Wave, but takes it to a virtual battlefield.
Ironville Middle School has had to cancel football for lack of funds and taking advantage of that, seventh grader Caleb Arnett had worked with math teacher Ms. B on a grant that provided state of the art gaming computers to the school. Now, for the first time, there would be an eSports club, despite the Principal's skepticism about gaming. Eight students show up for the inaugural meeting, including loner Zach Cook and bully Crosby Fugard, and soon a game is chosen and teams are formed.
The game, The Good War or TGW for short, mimics the Allied and Axis forces in World War II. Emma Lopez is chosen to be team captain for the Allies, and has Caleb, Zach and Nathan on her team, while Gavin Morgenstern is the Axis captain with Crosby, Tyler and Mackenzie on his side. The eSports Club meets once a week after school, and it doesn't take long for the players to really get into it. Soon, the Axis players are all wearing Nazi type clothing and speaking in fake German accents. Sadly, most of the students don't really have an understanding of World War II and what happened. For them, it's just a video game.
Things really get out of hand when there is a malware attack during a club meeting that features Nazi symbols, leading to a fight between two opposing players. After all Caleb's hard work to get these computers, this the end of eSports Club?
The Good War is told in the third person alternating voices of Caleb, Zach, Emma, Nathan and Crosby. Each of these students have issues and it is interesting to see how they evolve over the course of 10 weeks. Caleb is overly extended thanks to his hovering parents who want him to excel in everything; loner Zach is a fidgety boy with multiple tics, but is a great skateboarder and gamer, while quiet Emma lives in her older sisters shadow, unable to stand up for herself. Crosby, who mother has cancer and is going through chemo, is the most vulnerable of the group. He plays TGW online with a white supremacist who is slowly radicalizing him.
Through the members of the eSports Club, Strasser explores themes of bigotry, prejudice, the misuse of social media, racism, and bullying. While it is a little hard to believe that a middle school would allow students to play a game like The Good War, which is rated Mature, I could still suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story. And what about Ms. B's lack of leadership and control over the eSports Club? In my teaching life, I have met a few Ms. Bs, which is sad to say.
I wrote a dissertation on how novels for girls were used to indoctrinate them into NSDAP thinking, so naturally, I found The Good War and The Wave to be interesting books that tackle the theme of indoctrination and belonging. There was a reason Hitler courted German youth but you might be surprised to learn that German parents weren't quite as supportive as we have been lead to believe. Which made me wonder, where were all the parents of the kids in the eSports club?
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley
Ironville Middle School has had to cancel football for lack of funds and taking advantage of that, seventh grader Caleb Arnett had worked with math teacher Ms. B on a grant that provided state of the art gaming computers to the school. Now, for the first time, there would be an eSports club, despite the Principal's skepticism about gaming. Eight students show up for the inaugural meeting, including loner Zach Cook and bully Crosby Fugard, and soon a game is chosen and teams are formed.
The game, The Good War or TGW for short, mimics the Allied and Axis forces in World War II. Emma Lopez is chosen to be team captain for the Allies, and has Caleb, Zach and Nathan on her team, while Gavin Morgenstern is the Axis captain with Crosby, Tyler and Mackenzie on his side. The eSports Club meets once a week after school, and it doesn't take long for the players to really get into it. Soon, the Axis players are all wearing Nazi type clothing and speaking in fake German accents. Sadly, most of the students don't really have an understanding of World War II and what happened. For them, it's just a video game.
Things really get out of hand when there is a malware attack during a club meeting that features Nazi symbols, leading to a fight between two opposing players. After all Caleb's hard work to get these computers, this the end of eSports Club?
The Good War is told in the third person alternating voices of Caleb, Zach, Emma, Nathan and Crosby. Each of these students have issues and it is interesting to see how they evolve over the course of 10 weeks. Caleb is overly extended thanks to his hovering parents who want him to excel in everything; loner Zach is a fidgety boy with multiple tics, but is a great skateboarder and gamer, while quiet Emma lives in her older sisters shadow, unable to stand up for herself. Crosby, who mother has cancer and is going through chemo, is the most vulnerable of the group. He plays TGW online with a white supremacist who is slowly radicalizing him.
Through the members of the eSports Club, Strasser explores themes of bigotry, prejudice, the misuse of social media, racism, and bullying. While it is a little hard to believe that a middle school would allow students to play a game like The Good War, which is rated Mature, I could still suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story. And what about Ms. B's lack of leadership and control over the eSports Club? In my teaching life, I have met a few Ms. Bs, which is sad to say.
I wrote a dissertation on how novels for girls were used to indoctrinate them into NSDAP thinking, so naturally, I found The Good War and The Wave to be interesting books that tackle the theme of indoctrination and belonging. There was a reason Hitler courted German youth but you might be surprised to learn that German parents weren't quite as supportive as we have been lead to believe. Which made me wonder, where were all the parents of the kids in the eSports club?
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley
April 4, 2021
My 11-year-old and I listened to this on audio-book, expertly narrated by one of our favorites, Robbie Daymond (The Great Treehouse War, Lions & Liars, and more) and give it 4 1/2 stars. Todd Strasser definitely has his finger on the pulse of today’s middle schoolers and tells an accessible, entertaining, and cautionary tale from multiple perspectives. Some characters are under-developed and some parts lack plausibility, but the story of loner Crosby is perhaps the most eye-opening. Strasser successfully spotlights the importance of Holocaust education even in communities with no Jews and how white supremacist groups groom and recruit kids through online videogames. Extremely timely and relevant, especially in regards to the January 6 insurrection, The Good War explores similar themes to The Assignment by Liza Wiemer and Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman, but is more suitable for a younger audience. Next up for us: we're going to listen to The Wave, also by Strasser.
*my full review will appear in the Association of Jewish Libraries News & Reviews*
*my full review will appear in the Association of Jewish Libraries News & Reviews*
December 31, 2023
The idea is an interesting one, of an esports team at middle school. They play a game about World War 2, and as they get more into it one team, the Axis, start to show more hate and ignorance about history. The idea is good, to try and show kids that there is no place for hate. The characters felt a little all over the place and had so many things going on plus the game- it was a lot to cram into a thin book. My main issue was that there are so many things that happened that would not happen in a middle school (I have worked in one for 16 years). Kids would not be able to play a rated Mature game with school equipment for many reasons. A 7th grader would not get to choose who does the yearbook group photos. The ending was nice but a little too neat. I applaud the idea of the book but feel like the message got a little tangled up. No swears, some violence, racial and religious hatred, and some online grooming for white power groups. 7th grade and up.
August 25, 2023
I had originally picked this one for my book club with 9-12 year olds, but after reading it, I thought that it needed to be read with more context. I liked it, though, and think Strasser has a writing style the kids would love. It was funny and moving and brought up so many different issues that are relevant now that it definitely has a place in classrooms or for sparking family discussions.
April 15, 2021
*I was provided an e-arc of this book for an honest review from the publisher through NetGalley.
This book was very different from anything I had ever read before. I don't have any experience with esports, but I love that the author is using something that is popular with kids today in conjunction with history to address some very serious themes.
In this upper middle grade novel we follow an esports (video-gaming) team at a school that is playing a game called The Good War. (It is mentioned multiple times that the school started the esports team because it had to get rid of its football team. I don't know why this came up b/c I didn't feel it was necessary. But I digress...) The Good War is a Call of Duty type of game that is a simulation of WWII. Things start coming to head when one team requests to always be the Axis Powers. Racists slogans and images start coming into play and there is a lot of discussion about how "kids today" don't understand the original context/implications of these words and images.
There is also racism discussed within the multiple students home lives that are shared throughout the novel. At one point a student "meets" a recruiter for a white supremacy group online and attends a rally. There are definitely more mature and serious themes in this novel and I definitely wouldn't just hand it to a child without being available to discuss it with them and know the context of the book myself.
Overall I felt that the themes in this book are definitely themes that needed to be discussed, but I almost wanted more from it. Because the book is told in multiple alternating perspectives it was sometimes hard to connect to some of the characters. I also wanted to see more explanation of why the slogans/shirts/images were wrong so that the readers of the book ("kids today") had a better understanding of them and why they shouldn't be using them. Definitely an interesting approach to this topic though.
This book was very different from anything I had ever read before. I don't have any experience with esports, but I love that the author is using something that is popular with kids today in conjunction with history to address some very serious themes.
In this upper middle grade novel we follow an esports (video-gaming) team at a school that is playing a game called The Good War. (It is mentioned multiple times that the school started the esports team because it had to get rid of its football team. I don't know why this came up b/c I didn't feel it was necessary. But I digress...) The Good War is a Call of Duty type of game that is a simulation of WWII. Things start coming to head when one team requests to always be the Axis Powers. Racists slogans and images start coming into play and there is a lot of discussion about how "kids today" don't understand the original context/implications of these words and images.
There is also racism discussed within the multiple students home lives that are shared throughout the novel. At one point a student "meets" a recruiter for a white supremacy group online and attends a rally. There are definitely more mature and serious themes in this novel and I definitely wouldn't just hand it to a child without being available to discuss it with them and know the context of the book myself.
Overall I felt that the themes in this book are definitely themes that needed to be discussed, but I almost wanted more from it. Because the book is told in multiple alternating perspectives it was sometimes hard to connect to some of the characters. I also wanted to see more explanation of why the slogans/shirts/images were wrong so that the readers of the book ("kids today") had a better understanding of them and why they shouldn't be using them. Definitely an interesting approach to this topic though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2021
When an esports club at school is founded at Ironville Middle School, there isn't much interest. Those who are decide to play The Good War, an FPS game based on WWII. They split themselves into teams (the popular kids against the outcasts) and, soon enough, sides. The Axis team quickly falls down the rabbit hole of propaganda, and one of their members, Crosby, falls prey to online indoctrination. When they start to really get into it (wearing clothing reminiscent of Nazis, Nazi salutes, German accents, etc.), some people begin to see how serious it is while others brush it off as kids being kids.
I was really looking forward to this, and I know Todd Strasser is a good author, but it really suffers in the short length and Strasser not really knowing how schools work. Ms. B (who is always called "Ms. B" by her coworkers and principal, which does not happen) almost immediately agrees to the suggestion of The Good War, even though it's rated M and based on violence. But, OK, some suspension of disbelief is required. But when the first instance of the the Axis team getting in too deep (wearing grey shirts with IRON CROSSES) is brushed off, that's when I couldn't suspend my disbelief anymore. NO WAY would a teacher let her students get away with this and, worse, let them keep playing the game that led to this. The real end of this book is Ms. B getting fired and the Axis team getting suspended. And because it's so short, things happen so quick and never really land with as much weight as they should.
There are a few good things, like Emma and Zach's growing confidence and the fact that it made me really think about how to explain to kids that they should care about hate speech and symbols. Unfortunately Strasser doesn't really answer this - there's a lot of discussion by the characters about why they should or shouldn't care but there really isn't a strong argument either way. It's absolutely horrendous that these kids were talking about how German soldiers were just following orders and literally GIVING THE NAZI SAULTE IN THE HALLWAY and it was presented in such a blase manner. The ending wraps up too neatly and before any real discussions or consequences would have been had - two of the offenders aren't even present at the wrap-up meeting!
I'm sure there are kids out there who will enjoy this, but it won't teach them very much about hate symbols and why they're so bad, which is a shame.
I was really looking forward to this, and I know Todd Strasser is a good author, but it really suffers in the short length and Strasser not really knowing how schools work. Ms. B (who is always called "Ms. B" by her coworkers and principal, which does not happen) almost immediately agrees to the suggestion of The Good War, even though it's rated M and based on violence. But, OK, some suspension of disbelief is required. But when the first instance of the the Axis team getting in too deep (wearing grey shirts with IRON CROSSES) is brushed off, that's when I couldn't suspend my disbelief anymore. NO WAY would a teacher let her students get away with this and, worse, let them keep playing the game that led to this. The real end of this book is Ms. B getting fired and the Axis team getting suspended. And because it's so short, things happen so quick and never really land with as much weight as they should.
There are a few good things, like Emma and Zach's growing confidence and the fact that it made me really think about how to explain to kids that they should care about hate speech and symbols. Unfortunately Strasser doesn't really answer this - there's a lot of discussion by the characters about why they should or shouldn't care but there really isn't a strong argument either way. It's absolutely horrendous that these kids were talking about how German soldiers were just following orders and literally GIVING THE NAZI SAULTE IN THE HALLWAY and it was presented in such a blase manner. The ending wraps up too neatly and before any real discussions or consequences would have been had - two of the offenders aren't even present at the wrap-up meeting!
I'm sure there are kids out there who will enjoy this, but it won't teach them very much about hate symbols and why they're so bad, which is a shame.
September 25, 2021
I've enjoyed Todd Strasser's books ever since I read The Wave. He's never afraid to tackle tough topics such as indoctrination, school shootings, and hate crimes, and his books make readers think. Not only does he have an ear for dialogue and the kinds of conversations middle graders have today, but he creates complex characters. All of this is evident in his latest offering. Although the title refers to a computer game based on WWII and the conflict between the Axis and the Allies, but it can be taken to relate to the war that erupts between the two gaming teams in the novel. Ironville Middle School has recently won a grant to purchase powerful computers, and seventh-grade teacher Ms. B solicits volunteers to test them out. But as winning becomes increasingly important, the dynamics between the two competing sides and among various group members threatens to spill over into violence. No doubt readers will see themselves in one of those characters: Caleb, who never does anything without getting credit; Emma, who has suffered microaggressions from some of the mean girls in her class but decides it's time to stand up for herself and what's right; Zach, a talented gamer with insight into strategy but who has been the butt of harassment from classmates, especially Crosby; Crosby, who is fighting his own demons due to his mother's illness and is befriended online by a white supremacist; Nathan, who is using the game and team as a stepping stone to future popularity; Gavin, whose intimidating physical presence hides a softer side; Tyler, who is clueless when it comes to what the Nazis stood for and keeps pushing the envelope of what's appropriate; and Mackenzie, who enjoys belittling Emma. As the Axis team gravitates to Nazi realia, it becomes increasingly clear that the school administration needs to take steps to educate its students about hate crimes and online safety. While the ending wrapped up quickly and maybe too easily, readers will be swiftly caught up in this story while noticing how quickly something intended for good purposes can go so wrong. It might be interesting to pair this one with Gordon Korman's Linked.
July 29, 2020
*I received a free ARC of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an honest review*
The Good War is a book that would be good for Middle Grade readers because it teaches how easy it is to be twisted by what you’re being told and what you’re seeing. When I first started reading the book I expected there to be bullying and it to turn into how that’s wrong and how the kids grow and become better people. That’s how a lot of books that take place in schools go and Crosby seemed like the kind of kid that was going to learn a lesson about not being a bully. Instead it took a drastic turn when the Axis group showed up in school in red shirts with lightning bolts on them. As an adult I knew what the book was getting at from that moment on. Of course Dave was a questionable character and I was waiting for Aunt Mary to realize what was going on when Crosby was online but I never realized just how far things would go.
Was it hard to read about a seventh grader being pulled into something as dark as a white supremacist group? Of course it was because as an adult I will never understand how a child could be taught something like that especially in this context where it was from a stranger online. That seems to be a large theme of this book. Kids can talk to anyone online, they can be taught and told things by strangers that in their minds are their friends. It’s a terrifying thought and having five nieces and a nephew I’m afraid of what they could learn online or see when playing something as stupid as Roblox. The Good War is the kind of book that teaches a lesson that you don’t expect it to teach and I think I really enjoyed it because of that. Though I can’t say I agree with what Emma did in the end, you can kind of see why a child would think that was the way to solve a problem. I would recommend this book to parents for their Middle Grade Readers as long as they were aware of what happens in it so it can be an open discussion.
The Good War is a book that would be good for Middle Grade readers because it teaches how easy it is to be twisted by what you’re being told and what you’re seeing. When I first started reading the book I expected there to be bullying and it to turn into how that’s wrong and how the kids grow and become better people. That’s how a lot of books that take place in schools go and Crosby seemed like the kind of kid that was going to learn a lesson about not being a bully. Instead it took a drastic turn when the Axis group showed up in school in red shirts with lightning bolts on them. As an adult I knew what the book was getting at from that moment on. Of course Dave was a questionable character and I was waiting for Aunt Mary to realize what was going on when Crosby was online but I never realized just how far things would go.
Was it hard to read about a seventh grader being pulled into something as dark as a white supremacist group? Of course it was because as an adult I will never understand how a child could be taught something like that especially in this context where it was from a stranger online. That seems to be a large theme of this book. Kids can talk to anyone online, they can be taught and told things by strangers that in their minds are their friends. It’s a terrifying thought and having five nieces and a nephew I’m afraid of what they could learn online or see when playing something as stupid as Roblox. The Good War is the kind of book that teaches a lesson that you don’t expect it to teach and I think I really enjoyed it because of that. Though I can’t say I agree with what Emma did in the end, you can kind of see why a child would think that was the way to solve a problem. I would recommend this book to parents for their Middle Grade Readers as long as they were aware of what happens in it so it can be an open discussion.
November 24, 2020
This is an excellent book for young people because it approaches online gaming in a serious and educationally relevant way. Most books about gaming are just that – about playing video games and nothing more. But The Good War puts gaming in a social context with real-life implications for young people. And the author accomplishes this in a balanced way that shows both the positive aspects of gaming as well as some of the negative ones. I especially liked how the author brings issues of bullying and self-esteem into the story, and shows that gaming can actually enhance the latter. To me, another added bonus is that the characters are not so black and white or two-dimensional. The “good guys” can have serious flaws and the “bad guys”’ positive sides. The setting is a school that has lost its cherished football team and is suffering from low school spirit. A teacher tries to brighten the atmosphere by introducing an eGaming club, but her good intentions have some unexpectedly negative consequences (If this sounds a bit like The Wave, it’s no surprise. Todd Strasser wrote that novel, too.) In the end, everyone has learned some valuable lessons. I read it thanks to NetGalley. This is a book teachers can use to grab reluctant readers.
April 14, 2021
Winning a technology grant, Ironville Middle School received eight brand-new Providia gaming computers with upgraded wi-fi and consoles just perfect for an eSports Club. Teams were formed to play "The Good War," a video game based on WWII. Only when the Axis team played vs. the Allied team, they began to wear SS logo t-shirts and give the Nazi salute with fake-German sounding accents. Their teachers were appalled by this callous behavior and zero comprehension of the Holocaust and genocide of 6 million Jews. One of the students who plays this game constantly online is mesmerized by a white supremacist player who tries to entice him with false narratives to attend a gathering of like-minded people. What happens next affects the students' school and home lives. Hard to read, but this novel is a topical treatment of how fringe groups recruit dissatisfied young people online and organize violent marches. As chilling as it is true to life.
August 28, 2021
This book is a good lesson in how a few words or ideas can greatly impact others. It’s always better when words are well intended and meant to inspire, but don’t forget that words can be truly hurtful too. It’s also a cautionary tale to not believe everything you read online and especially in a chat room.
#scholasticemployee. Review is a collection of my thoughts and does not represent the company for which I work.
#scholasticemployee. Review is a collection of my thoughts and does not represent the company for which I work.
April 20, 2022
Using video games as a setting goes mostly unexplored in literature. Most of the time, when I do see it, the story is about how someone has magically gone into the videogame they love to play to become the hero of their dreams. It is a bit cheesy in my mind, but I let it go because if it can get a person to enjoy a book, then who am I to judge?
Then there is the book The Good War by Todd Strasser. This book describes how a poorly funded school manages to receive a grant for top-of-the-line gaming computers. Then the school decides to start an e-sports club featuring The Good War, a realistic WWII shooter with the Allies versus the Nazis. Soon, however, some of the kids tend to take the war game too seriously, as they start speaking in german accents, and wearing Nazi symbols. Can the esports club survive the shenanigans of a few dissident students, or is there something more serious going on beneath the surface?
There are many positives of this book. One is the educational aspect that Strasser advocates for. When it comes to public schools in the United States, they are funded primarily by local taxes of the area that they reside in. In other words, if you have a Cabela’s in your town, then you most likely will have decent funding. Whereas if you are in an area like Detroit, then you will have less. This translates to technology that is the best the school can afford. If that is what the students need to get by…well that is another matter entirely. Strasser advocates through this book for digital citizenship. There are still many places in the US where the internet is not common and can be spotty at best. There are still schools that have only enough computers for a single computer lab that must be shared amongst all the students. This book advocates for that change. Strasser shows not only what some schools cannot afford, but also how it can leave behind some students to grow up digitally inhibited in an era where those skills are the ones in demand.
Then there is internet safety. In a world where it is easier to go online than ever (and even how it is required to do so, in some cases) students need to be shown its best uses and its dangers. Strasser shows the reader that just because it is easy and the students grew up with it, does not mean they know how to use it wisely.
Then there are the political lessons that Strasser promotes in this book. While some may be wishing for him to just leave that out of the story, I felt it was good, since you cannot have this kind of a tale without talking about the White Supremacists riots of the past few years. We see the extremes of both sides of the political aisle, with one character representing the extreme left, and another on the extreme right. It is up to the reader to understand that there is a middle ground to be had in this ever-changing world.
All of this means that Strasser works well when it comes to developing a novel that describes the use and consequences of the internet, for better or worse. This is something that few authors even attempt, and should be commended.
But if you thought I wasn’t going to complain about this book, you are sorely mistaken.
My two main problems with this book come down to how this book describes educators, and how it lacks any context for The Good War itself.
The educators in this book are incompetent at best, and dangerous teachers at worst.
One example of this would be when the students want to vote on which game to play for the E-Sports club. They suggest The Good War, which is rated M for violence. The teacher looks over ratings for the game and says it is fine. My problem with this is that you are connected, however distantly, to a public school, and if it gets out that you are having them play mature video games, there will be parents complaining.
Another example would be when the headteacher of the club sees students wearing the lightning bolts mimicking the symbol used by the SS. The teacher, after seeing these shirts, decides that she should read more on the topic, but then simply grows concerned, taking no further action. This is a serious mistake. I would have stopped the club right there and given them a lecture on what the SS did. Then I would have sat them down, PowerPoint and all, and explained to them how Germany was fully compliant with what the SS wanted to do, and how the Holocaust was a terrible thing for not just Jewish people, but for many, many others of varying nationalities.
Then there is the relationship between the book and its title. I dislike how for all the talk about how these students are doing at the game, we never actually get to see them playing The Good War. We never get scenes of them in the middle of a battle, and how they manage to win a clutch match because of a fancy trick play in the heat of the moment. There are times when the characters will talk to a teammate about how he should not do X thing in a match, and he feels resentment about it, but we never actually see him doing it. This leaves what could be one of the most exciting aspects of the book for me, as hollow and a seriously wasted opportunity to bring in reluctant readers.
Overall, I admire what the author was trying to do, and the goal he was trying to achieve. I would say that this book might be enough to draw in reluctant readers, but I am worried that there is not enough to keep them there. I give this book a three out of five.
Then there is the book The Good War by Todd Strasser. This book describes how a poorly funded school manages to receive a grant for top-of-the-line gaming computers. Then the school decides to start an e-sports club featuring The Good War, a realistic WWII shooter with the Allies versus the Nazis. Soon, however, some of the kids tend to take the war game too seriously, as they start speaking in german accents, and wearing Nazi symbols. Can the esports club survive the shenanigans of a few dissident students, or is there something more serious going on beneath the surface?
There are many positives of this book. One is the educational aspect that Strasser advocates for. When it comes to public schools in the United States, they are funded primarily by local taxes of the area that they reside in. In other words, if you have a Cabela’s in your town, then you most likely will have decent funding. Whereas if you are in an area like Detroit, then you will have less. This translates to technology that is the best the school can afford. If that is what the students need to get by…well that is another matter entirely. Strasser advocates through this book for digital citizenship. There are still many places in the US where the internet is not common and can be spotty at best. There are still schools that have only enough computers for a single computer lab that must be shared amongst all the students. This book advocates for that change. Strasser shows not only what some schools cannot afford, but also how it can leave behind some students to grow up digitally inhibited in an era where those skills are the ones in demand.
Then there is internet safety. In a world where it is easier to go online than ever (and even how it is required to do so, in some cases) students need to be shown its best uses and its dangers. Strasser shows the reader that just because it is easy and the students grew up with it, does not mean they know how to use it wisely.
Then there are the political lessons that Strasser promotes in this book. While some may be wishing for him to just leave that out of the story, I felt it was good, since you cannot have this kind of a tale without talking about the White Supremacists riots of the past few years. We see the extremes of both sides of the political aisle, with one character representing the extreme left, and another on the extreme right. It is up to the reader to understand that there is a middle ground to be had in this ever-changing world.
All of this means that Strasser works well when it comes to developing a novel that describes the use and consequences of the internet, for better or worse. This is something that few authors even attempt, and should be commended.
But if you thought I wasn’t going to complain about this book, you are sorely mistaken.
My two main problems with this book come down to how this book describes educators, and how it lacks any context for The Good War itself.
The educators in this book are incompetent at best, and dangerous teachers at worst.
One example of this would be when the students want to vote on which game to play for the E-Sports club. They suggest The Good War, which is rated M for violence. The teacher looks over ratings for the game and says it is fine. My problem with this is that you are connected, however distantly, to a public school, and if it gets out that you are having them play mature video games, there will be parents complaining.
Another example would be when the headteacher of the club sees students wearing the lightning bolts mimicking the symbol used by the SS. The teacher, after seeing these shirts, decides that she should read more on the topic, but then simply grows concerned, taking no further action. This is a serious mistake. I would have stopped the club right there and given them a lecture on what the SS did. Then I would have sat them down, PowerPoint and all, and explained to them how Germany was fully compliant with what the SS wanted to do, and how the Holocaust was a terrible thing for not just Jewish people, but for many, many others of varying nationalities.
Then there is the relationship between the book and its title. I dislike how for all the talk about how these students are doing at the game, we never actually get to see them playing The Good War. We never get scenes of them in the middle of a battle, and how they manage to win a clutch match because of a fancy trick play in the heat of the moment. There are times when the characters will talk to a teammate about how he should not do X thing in a match, and he feels resentment about it, but we never actually see him doing it. This leaves what could be one of the most exciting aspects of the book for me, as hollow and a seriously wasted opportunity to bring in reluctant readers.
Overall, I admire what the author was trying to do, and the goal he was trying to achieve. I would say that this book might be enough to draw in reluctant readers, but I am worried that there is not enough to keep them there. I give this book a three out of five.
November 27, 2020
#TheGoodWar #NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
With the help of an interested teacher, Caleb manages to get a grant to bring eSports to his school with high end gaming equipment. The school, located in an economically depressed town, faces repeated budget cuts and has recently had to eliminate football. eSports is an up and coming field, offering scholarships and sponsors, for competitive video gamers. The school hopes it will offer students a needed new opportunity to be involved in school activities and a distraction from budget impacts.
Caleb, ever on the lookout for ways to build his resume even as a seventh grader, is excited about the possibilities an eSports club could offer and is equally as interested in the attention it garners him. Eight students form the beta members of the club: Emma, a quiet and thoughtful girl easily intimidated and worried about drawing any attention to herself; Zack, somewhat of an odd duck and naturally, a loner; Nathan, a rather self aggrandizing and self serving twerp; Crosby, an insecure, over zealous sibilant; MacKenzie, the mean girl; Tyler, a hanger on with no real identity of his own; and Gavin, the alpha jock who’s actually not so scary and intimidating. Ms. B., is the intrepid sponsor of the club and has good insight about her students and good intentions. There’s also a kind librarian who plays a minor but nonetheless heroic role. 😀
The club chooses a popular game, The Good War, based on WWII, Axis and Allies, as their charter game. The game is rated M but the teacher decides to allow it for reasons I do not understand as an educator but had she not, there’d be no plot mechanism. As you might expect, the game quickly becomes about more than wins and losses with one team taking their roles too seriously. Each of the characters is realistically struggling with a variety of issues related to identity and character that make game play and school more challenging.
Things begin to escalate as conversations about the war quickly take on menacing overtones. The students know little of the historical context of the war but are drawn to learning more about as gameplay continues. What once seemed like just the innocuous backdrop of a game becomes something more concrete and divisive. Each character has to come to terms with the fallout the club members face as they grapple with very real and adult ideas that surface through their interactions, many of which will resonate with readers as they have been in the headlines frequently the past few years.
This is a novel that deals with headline news, the insidious and sometimes caustic nature of social media, self identity, video gaming, and the meaning of integrity and friendship. Even if you’re not well versed in the world of mmorpg video gaming, Strasser does a fair job of offering simple explanations but doesn’t shy away from the vernacular. Also, since it’s Todd Strasser, you can count on some typical, adolescent gross humor that’s bound to provide some levity in an otherwise thematically heavy novel. The characters are well drawn although I’d say they are acutely self aware for seventh graders based on my interactions with seventh graders! Although the topic is timely and could offer a lot by way of discussion, the climax feels, well, anticlimactic. Instead of a telescoping climax, each character quietly grapples with and resolves their own issue which leads to a rather unsplashy finale with a very peacenik talking circle as the club agrees to disband until new guidelines for its charter can be agreed upon. All very mature and civilized but a too pat of an ending for middle schoolers. Appropriate for middle school readers.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
With the help of an interested teacher, Caleb manages to get a grant to bring eSports to his school with high end gaming equipment. The school, located in an economically depressed town, faces repeated budget cuts and has recently had to eliminate football. eSports is an up and coming field, offering scholarships and sponsors, for competitive video gamers. The school hopes it will offer students a needed new opportunity to be involved in school activities and a distraction from budget impacts.
Caleb, ever on the lookout for ways to build his resume even as a seventh grader, is excited about the possibilities an eSports club could offer and is equally as interested in the attention it garners him. Eight students form the beta members of the club: Emma, a quiet and thoughtful girl easily intimidated and worried about drawing any attention to herself; Zack, somewhat of an odd duck and naturally, a loner; Nathan, a rather self aggrandizing and self serving twerp; Crosby, an insecure, over zealous sibilant; MacKenzie, the mean girl; Tyler, a hanger on with no real identity of his own; and Gavin, the alpha jock who’s actually not so scary and intimidating. Ms. B., is the intrepid sponsor of the club and has good insight about her students and good intentions. There’s also a kind librarian who plays a minor but nonetheless heroic role. 😀
The club chooses a popular game, The Good War, based on WWII, Axis and Allies, as their charter game. The game is rated M but the teacher decides to allow it for reasons I do not understand as an educator but had she not, there’d be no plot mechanism. As you might expect, the game quickly becomes about more than wins and losses with one team taking their roles too seriously. Each of the characters is realistically struggling with a variety of issues related to identity and character that make game play and school more challenging.
Things begin to escalate as conversations about the war quickly take on menacing overtones. The students know little of the historical context of the war but are drawn to learning more about as gameplay continues. What once seemed like just the innocuous backdrop of a game becomes something more concrete and divisive. Each character has to come to terms with the fallout the club members face as they grapple with very real and adult ideas that surface through their interactions, many of which will resonate with readers as they have been in the headlines frequently the past few years.
This is a novel that deals with headline news, the insidious and sometimes caustic nature of social media, self identity, video gaming, and the meaning of integrity and friendship. Even if you’re not well versed in the world of mmorpg video gaming, Strasser does a fair job of offering simple explanations but doesn’t shy away from the vernacular. Also, since it’s Todd Strasser, you can count on some typical, adolescent gross humor that’s bound to provide some levity in an otherwise thematically heavy novel. The characters are well drawn although I’d say they are acutely self aware for seventh graders based on my interactions with seventh graders! Although the topic is timely and could offer a lot by way of discussion, the climax feels, well, anticlimactic. Instead of a telescoping climax, each character quietly grapples with and resolves their own issue which leads to a rather unsplashy finale with a very peacenik talking circle as the club agrees to disband until new guidelines for its charter can be agreed upon. All very mature and civilized but a too pat of an ending for middle schoolers. Appropriate for middle school readers.
Read
February 17, 2021This was one of my most looked forward to books in 2021 and I'm happy I read it. Todd Strasser is an author that doesn't pull any punches and always writes about topics that are relevant to teens. I find this remarkable as he has been writing for over 20 years.
In THE GOOD WAR, he follows a group of middle schoolers who have varying degrees of experience playing the IT game of moment, The Good War, a first person shooter set during WWII.
Caleb (or Xtra Credit Caleb behind his back) helped write a grant to get his middle school 8 state of the art gaming computers. With Ms. B, a staff sponsor, he starts an esports club. The only thing is the people he expected to show up aren't necessarily the kids who do. They include...
Emma who is constantly snarked at by "the cool kids". She tries to avoid all attention until Caleb encourages her to be a team captain...
Zach who is twitchy and kind of considered weird. He is constantly bullied. But his classmates don't realize how exceptional he really is...
Nathan, the new kid, who just joined the club so until he could get an "in" with the popular kids...
Gavin, who is a big, tough football player who suddenly doesn't have football now that it's been canceled...
Crosby, Gavin's clinger on, who also is communicating (unbeknownst to him) a 20 something year old guy who is a white supremacist while playing The Good War online...
Isabella & Mackenzie who are the resident "mean girls" but one of them has a secret...
Tyler who...well to be honest I kind of forget what Tyler's deal is...
Things get out of hand in the Esports club when The Good War becomes more and more real...
Overall, I thought this was good. It's pretty realistic to middle school. It did, at times, feel a bit didactic. I would be curious what my middle schoolers thing about this one and plan to hand it to them as soon as I finish adding it to my school library collection.
I did like how it addressed not only WWII history and the Holocaust but parental expectations (esp ridiculous ones), fear of the unknown, popularity contests, how to make (and lose) friends.
Content Notes:
Swearing/Profanity: 1 instance of crap, 1 instance of bastid (a play on bastard I'm assuming), 1 instance of "I spit myself" instead of...well...you know. The teacher calls the students on their two sort-of profanities immediately
Sex/Sexual References: None
Religious References: Students learn about the Holocaust and Anne Frank; it's discussed how Jews were killed by the Nazis; religious practices are not brought up in the book (so far as I can remember)
In THE GOOD WAR, he follows a group of middle schoolers who have varying degrees of experience playing the IT game of moment, The Good War, a first person shooter set during WWII.
Caleb (or Xtra Credit Caleb behind his back) helped write a grant to get his middle school 8 state of the art gaming computers. With Ms. B, a staff sponsor, he starts an esports club. The only thing is the people he expected to show up aren't necessarily the kids who do. They include...
Emma who is constantly snarked at by "the cool kids". She tries to avoid all attention until Caleb encourages her to be a team captain...
Zach who is twitchy and kind of considered weird. He is constantly bullied. But his classmates don't realize how exceptional he really is...
Nathan, the new kid, who just joined the club so until he could get an "in" with the popular kids...
Gavin, who is a big, tough football player who suddenly doesn't have football now that it's been canceled...
Crosby, Gavin's clinger on, who also is communicating (unbeknownst to him) a 20 something year old guy who is a white supremacist while playing The Good War online...
Isabella & Mackenzie who are the resident "mean girls" but one of them has a secret...
Tyler who...well to be honest I kind of forget what Tyler's deal is...
Things get out of hand in the Esports club when The Good War becomes more and more real...
Overall, I thought this was good. It's pretty realistic to middle school. It did, at times, feel a bit didactic. I would be curious what my middle schoolers thing about this one and plan to hand it to them as soon as I finish adding it to my school library collection.
I did like how it addressed not only WWII history and the Holocaust but parental expectations (esp ridiculous ones), fear of the unknown, popularity contests, how to make (and lose) friends.
Content Notes:
Swearing/Profanity: 1 instance of crap, 1 instance of bastid (a play on bastard I'm assuming), 1 instance of "I spit myself" instead of...well...you know. The teacher calls the students on their two sort-of profanities immediately
Sex/Sexual References: None
Religious References: Students learn about the Holocaust and Anne Frank; it's discussed how Jews were killed by the Nazis; religious practices are not brought up in the book (so far as I can remember)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2021
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
THE GOOD WAR is an intriguing middle grade novel about growing up, the pitfalls and benefits of social media/interactive gaming, and friendship. At a struggling middle school where funding has taken away the football team, Caleb applied with his teacher, Ms. B, to get gaming computers to start an eSports team. This club gets its first members, and they select the game (quickly screened), The Good War, modeled after WWII, which many of the students also play at home.
The teams are chosen and play the Allies and Axis sides. Before long, these roles take on more and dangerous power. In addition, one of the members who plays at home is exposed to other players who are white supremacists, and this influence is as insidious as one would expect. The book ultimately deals with the dangers of communication online, the need to understand history, and the evolving identity of children this age.
What I loved: While it starts very light with some gross humor (loogies spit onto the bathroom ceiling), the book ultimately covers some heavy topics. These themes, including those about social media, prejudices/racism, and bullying, are discussed throughout and would be great to accompany discussions after reading the book to give children additional resources and ways that they can seek help if they see something similar happening in real life. Although there are several characters, they were all really intriguing and middle grade readers will enjoy them.
What left me wanting more: The selection of the game (rated M) and escalation seemed implausible in a supervised school club setting (unclear how it got so far). On the flipside, if these things had not happened, the themes would not have been so well explored. There was also some body function humor throughout, which were not my favorite, but will definitely delight some middle grade readers.
Final verdict: Overall, THE GOOD GAME was an intriguing contemporary middle grade novel that deals with some hefty topics. Would recommend reading in communication with adults for additional resources and discussion of the themes.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
THE GOOD WAR is an intriguing middle grade novel about growing up, the pitfalls and benefits of social media/interactive gaming, and friendship. At a struggling middle school where funding has taken away the football team, Caleb applied with his teacher, Ms. B, to get gaming computers to start an eSports team. This club gets its first members, and they select the game (quickly screened), The Good War, modeled after WWII, which many of the students also play at home.
The teams are chosen and play the Allies and Axis sides. Before long, these roles take on more and dangerous power. In addition, one of the members who plays at home is exposed to other players who are white supremacists, and this influence is as insidious as one would expect. The book ultimately deals with the dangers of communication online, the need to understand history, and the evolving identity of children this age.
What I loved: While it starts very light with some gross humor (loogies spit onto the bathroom ceiling), the book ultimately covers some heavy topics. These themes, including those about social media, prejudices/racism, and bullying, are discussed throughout and would be great to accompany discussions after reading the book to give children additional resources and ways that they can seek help if they see something similar happening in real life. Although there are several characters, they were all really intriguing and middle grade readers will enjoy them.
What left me wanting more: The selection of the game (rated M) and escalation seemed implausible in a supervised school club setting (unclear how it got so far). On the flipside, if these things had not happened, the themes would not have been so well explored. There was also some body function humor throughout, which were not my favorite, but will definitely delight some middle grade readers.
Final verdict: Overall, THE GOOD GAME was an intriguing contemporary middle grade novel that deals with some hefty topics. Would recommend reading in communication with adults for additional resources and discussion of the themes.
Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.
Read
January 31, 2021Caleb is pretty proud of himself. With the help of his middle school teacher, he has written a grant for his school to purchase some topnotch gaming computers in the hopes of creating an after school eSports club. Ever since the school board was forced to cut football from the sports program there have been kids wanting something fun to do. Now they may have the chance.
When the new club is announced, Caleb is pleased to see a handful of students interested in joining what the teacher/adviser says is a test group to see if the club is a good fit for the school. Those who join may not be exactly Caleb's idea of the ideal members, but he is still excited to begin playing.
The group is honestly rather surprised when they are given the go ahead to play a role playing game called The Good War or TGW. There will be plenty of shooting and violence, but its setting of WWII is enough to gain it approval from their adviser. The players divide into Allies and Axis teams and play after school once a week. It doesn't take long for things to starting getting out of hand.
THE GOOD WAR by well-known middle grade and young adult author Todd Strasser is a short, powerful read about how easy it is for hate and racism to take control. Told from the points of view of a cast of characters, Strasser paints a picture of how individuals and their personal issues can take over common sense. I was fascinated how in less than 200 pages Strasser was able to deftly create characters who speak to the problems of today and teach an important lesson while doing so.
When the new club is announced, Caleb is pleased to see a handful of students interested in joining what the teacher/adviser says is a test group to see if the club is a good fit for the school. Those who join may not be exactly Caleb's idea of the ideal members, but he is still excited to begin playing.
The group is honestly rather surprised when they are given the go ahead to play a role playing game called The Good War or TGW. There will be plenty of shooting and violence, but its setting of WWII is enough to gain it approval from their adviser. The players divide into Allies and Axis teams and play after school once a week. It doesn't take long for things to starting getting out of hand.
THE GOOD WAR by well-known middle grade and young adult author Todd Strasser is a short, powerful read about how easy it is for hate and racism to take control. Told from the points of view of a cast of characters, Strasser paints a picture of how individuals and their personal issues can take over common sense. I was fascinated how in less than 200 pages Strasser was able to deftly create characters who speak to the problems of today and teach an important lesson while doing so.
January 2, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
In the small town of Ironville, budget cuts have forced the dissolution of the school’s popular football team. Seventh grader Caleb, with the help of his teacher, Ms. B, writes a grant and the school received 8 brand new gaming computers. The principal is apprehensive until Ms. B assures her that the computers can be used for research in addition to gaming. A new afterschool eSports club is formed. The students decide that The Good War, a wildly popular video game, will be the first game of the beta test for the club. The game setting is World War II in Germany – Axis vs Allies. The students on the Allies, Caleb, Zach, Emma, and Nathan, are seen as outsiders, or misfits, and often bullied by the more popular kids who make up the Axis team – Crosby, Gavin, Mackenzie, and Tyler. As the games progress, the Axis team starts to emulate the Germans, from wearing t-shirts with the double lightning bolt to the Nazi salute. None of the students really knows what happened during the Nazi regime and don’t understand what they are doing is wrong and dangerous.
I really liked how this book showed the dangers of the internet and how they bleed over into real life. Strasser makes sure to tie in the current hate seen on the internet as well as the news. I do feel that some things were wrapped up too neatly at the end but, overall, it should be required reading for middle schoolers. I would definitely recommend this for sixth grade and up due to the mature material.
#TheGoodWar #NetGalley
In the small town of Ironville, budget cuts have forced the dissolution of the school’s popular football team. Seventh grader Caleb, with the help of his teacher, Ms. B, writes a grant and the school received 8 brand new gaming computers. The principal is apprehensive until Ms. B assures her that the computers can be used for research in addition to gaming. A new afterschool eSports club is formed. The students decide that The Good War, a wildly popular video game, will be the first game of the beta test for the club. The game setting is World War II in Germany – Axis vs Allies. The students on the Allies, Caleb, Zach, Emma, and Nathan, are seen as outsiders, or misfits, and often bullied by the more popular kids who make up the Axis team – Crosby, Gavin, Mackenzie, and Tyler. As the games progress, the Axis team starts to emulate the Germans, from wearing t-shirts with the double lightning bolt to the Nazi salute. None of the students really knows what happened during the Nazi regime and don’t understand what they are doing is wrong and dangerous.
I really liked how this book showed the dangers of the internet and how they bleed over into real life. Strasser makes sure to tie in the current hate seen on the internet as well as the news. I do feel that some things were wrapped up too neatly at the end but, overall, it should be required reading for middle schoolers. I would definitely recommend this for sixth grade and up due to the mature material.
#TheGoodWar #NetGalley
October 17, 2021
I listened to this on audiobook and there were times where I struggled to follow the story as it switched from character to character quite a bit.
I felt that the intent of the story was worthy... and the execution actually worked for the most part, but not all of the time. There were times where it got a bit preachy and 'tell not show' but Strasser did capture many of the issues which teens encounter as they grow up - friendship, peer pressure, bullying, indoctrination, confusion, parental controls...
Each character has their own issues which they are dealing with, all of which are complex and interesting.
The premise on which the story is set is a little shaky... a student is allowed to set up an e-sports club, with the help of a teacher who lets them play a game called The Good War (based on World War 2.) Two teams with 4 students in each are set up, representing the Allies and the Axis. They are meant to alternate but rather predictably the team of 4 students who are basically The Mean Team decide that they want to stay as the Axis team. The four student representing the Allies are somewhat dysfunctional - they are social outcasts who take time to work together.
It is all rather convenient... and pretty unrealistic... but...
...once you get past the shaky premise, there are some good messages to be had and there will be many readers who can relate to at least one of the eight main protagonists.
I felt that the intent of the story was worthy... and the execution actually worked for the most part, but not all of the time. There were times where it got a bit preachy and 'tell not show' but Strasser did capture many of the issues which teens encounter as they grow up - friendship, peer pressure, bullying, indoctrination, confusion, parental controls...
Each character has their own issues which they are dealing with, all of which are complex and interesting.
The premise on which the story is set is a little shaky... a student is allowed to set up an e-sports club, with the help of a teacher who lets them play a game called The Good War (based on World War 2.) Two teams with 4 students in each are set up, representing the Allies and the Axis. They are meant to alternate but rather predictably the team of 4 students who are basically The Mean Team decide that they want to stay as the Axis team. The four student representing the Allies are somewhat dysfunctional - they are social outcasts who take time to work together.
It is all rather convenient... and pretty unrealistic... but...
...once you get past the shaky premise, there are some good messages to be had and there will be many readers who can relate to at least one of the eight main protagonists.
July 27, 2024
Woah. Not what I expected. It was deep, and I had a hard time not reading with my mom/adult lens. I really enjoyed this book for everything it talked about and how it resolved itself.
I think every parent should read a book like this so they can fully understand how easy internet interactions can radicalize someone. It’s all so innocent until it isn’t.
I also like how it brought up topics/issues in a way that’s relevant to kids today. I especially liked how the author slipped in the mention about how they “won’t even get to WWII until next years history class”. This is a major, real life problem that most people don’t consider when thinking about these things and letting their kids do/watch/read things. They know about it, so these kids must too, right? In the book, as most kids are in real life, They were playing these types of games without context. History has to have context, especially if you’re going to have people trying to rewrite things or gloss over major issues.
I was absolutely bawling by the end. These kids are just babies. I’m glad it’s a middle school book though, because I really liked the way the book ended. Lots of twists and turns and new friendships were made.
Highly recommend this book. Quick read with a big impact.
I think every parent should read a book like this so they can fully understand how easy internet interactions can radicalize someone. It’s all so innocent until it isn’t.
I also like how it brought up topics/issues in a way that’s relevant to kids today. I especially liked how the author slipped in the mention about how they “won’t even get to WWII until next years history class”. This is a major, real life problem that most people don’t consider when thinking about these things and letting their kids do/watch/read things. They know about it, so these kids must too, right? In the book, as most kids are in real life, They were playing these types of games without context. History has to have context, especially if you’re going to have people trying to rewrite things or gloss over major issues.
I was absolutely bawling by the end. These kids are just babies. I’m glad it’s a middle school book though, because I really liked the way the book ended. Lots of twists and turns and new friendships were made.
Highly recommend this book. Quick read with a big impact.
November 13, 2021
This is a little hard for me to pin down to rate. On one hand, I felt like the scenario described in the book could totally happen: a group of kids form an eSports league around a popular video game but it gets out of control with bullying and when kids start reciting Nazi propaganda and not realizing the significance of their comments because they haven’t been taught all the horrible things that happened in the Holocaust yet. A lot of the kids in the club grow and strengthen their characters (and some don’t, but that’s middle school) and overall I liked how the story played out. But I wasn’t sure if kids would actually pick this up and read it and what their thoughts would be? It’d be an interesting read aloud for classrooms or book discussions for sure and has a lot of relevant topics for kids today to discuss but again, would they like it or would they think it’s a little preachy? Overall, I liked it and it was a quick read and I loved the overall character arcs for Caleb, Zach, Emma and Crosby.
November 21, 2020
Caleb helped write the grant that bought eight high-powered gaming computers for his middle school, and he becomes a member of the school’s new esports team. The group decides to devote a semester to playing a popular game based on World War ll called the Good War and the group members form teams representing the Axis and the Allies.
There are a lot of friendship and personality issues to be worked out among the team members as well as game roles and strategies to decide. Soon their matches are being live streamed with classmates providing commentary on Twitch, and the local news is paying attention. When members of the Axis team begin speaking with German accents and wearing matching t-shirts decorated with German medals, it’s clear that hate groups have begun to influence the gamers and both kids and adults have to figure out how to respond.
The first of many books I anticipate reading about e-sports and the sub-plot about hate groups is age-appropriate and necessary.
There are a lot of friendship and personality issues to be worked out among the team members as well as game roles and strategies to decide. Soon their matches are being live streamed with classmates providing commentary on Twitch, and the local news is paying attention. When members of the Axis team begin speaking with German accents and wearing matching t-shirts decorated with German medals, it’s clear that hate groups have begun to influence the gamers and both kids and adults have to figure out how to respond.
The first of many books I anticipate reading about e-sports and the sub-plot about hate groups is age-appropriate and necessary.
June 18, 2021
The book was too scattered and unfocused and lost me every time it changed scenes. It’s written in third person but which character it focused on switched throughout a chapter so I felt like I was restarting a different book every time. It felt like the author was trying to give every character the chance to become the main protagonist, but none was developed well enough for that and then one of the interesting ones moves away before the book ends without a real explanation. I wish just a couple of the kids from both times would have been main characters and the others minor. And lugies, really? What was the point in that? The premise is awesome and everything about gaming is spot on and would have been loved by young readers but I won’t be recommending because the story didn’t quite cut it for me.
March 27, 2023
The premise of this middle grade book is important. Kids take a WWII video game too far; the learn about the consequences of hate. The execution, though, left little to be desired.
Starting with a nitpick - the jacket blurb says Ms. Peterson started the club, but unless I missed something, the teacher is only ever referenced as Ms. B. This really bothered me because it felt like an easy mistake to fix.
Throughout the chapters, the narration jumps in perspective among all the characters. It was disorienting and at times difficult to follow. The ending was abrupt and too easy and I didn't feel like the characters really learned anything. The way the teaching staff handled the situation is completely unrealistic at so many different points. I will look for other books that can convey the message in a better way.
Starting with a nitpick - the jacket blurb says Ms. Peterson started the club, but unless I missed something, the teacher is only ever referenced as Ms. B. This really bothered me because it felt like an easy mistake to fix.
Throughout the chapters, the narration jumps in perspective among all the characters. It was disorienting and at times difficult to follow. The ending was abrupt and too easy and I didn't feel like the characters really learned anything. The way the teaching staff handled the situation is completely unrealistic at so many different points. I will look for other books that can convey the message in a better way.
January 26, 2021
Todd Strasser has a penchant for writing books with a moral, and "The Good War" does not deviate from his standard style. While the lessons learned in the book are absolutely important for students to understand, Strasser is heavy on the lesson and light on character development. He hammers home the need to understand what hate speech looks like and how pervasive it can be on social media. Other lessons include bullying, friendship and standing up for what you believe in. Again, these are necessary lessons, but because the characters are so flat, it reads more like a morality tale without any depth. Descriptions and emotions are sparse, and it's difficult to connect with the characters. Middle school students will be interested in the book for it's gaming storyline, but the other aspects - narrative from different character POVs, for example - may turn them off.
February 11, 2021
Caleb helped Ms. B write a grant and now the middle school starts an e-sports program. Mousy Emma, unpopular Zach, and new kids Nathan join Caleb's team of Allies. Bully Crosby, his big friend Gavin, mean girl MacKenzie, and impulsive Tyler form the other as Axis as they play The Good War. We get each kid's backstory as they get deeper into the game, including wearing matching shirts and speaking with German accents. Some kids have supportive parents, but we don't meet all of them. Some kids really feel alone, lost, and lonely. It all wraps up a little too nicely at the end, with kids publicly apologizing and getting along with each other.
Very topical subject. I actually had to look up several hate speech terms.
Very topical subject. I actually had to look up several hate speech terms.
Read
December 9, 2024I understand the point the author was making but there were so many things that made this upsetting and cringy. To allow students to be playing a game in a school sponsored club, where one side is the Nazi side - without fully understanding what that means, was upsetting. To know that students were impersonating Nazis, using Nazi symbols, and not shut that down.... There was one part, around pg 130, where a parent speaks up and explains how wrong this was and the implications of it on so many groups of people, and then that part was over. I have read other middle grade books on antisemitism that cover the topic in a more sensitive and educational way. I would reach for one of them first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews