A Million Shades of Grey by Cynthia Kadohata

This is the UK cover from Simon and Schuster

This is the US cover

This story opens in 1973 in the Highlands of South Vietnam. The war is all around the village of Y'Tin but somehow his family are going on with their daily lives. Y'Tin's father is working for the US army as a tracker and his son has this skill too but all Y'Tin wants to do is look after the elephants - especially Lady. Jump forward to 1975. The US army have left and Y'Tin is now an elephant keeper but the war is not over and there are discussions among the adults about the desperate need to leave before the soliders from the North and the Viet Cong arrive. Then comes the terrible day when the soldier do come and T'Tin and his friends are captured. He desperately hopes his mother and father and two sisters have escaped. The following few days are utterly dreadful. People from his village are shot; their houses are burned down and the boys from the village have to dig huge grave pits. Somehow though, Y'Tin and a friend do manage to escape and deep in the jungle they are reunited with their elephants. Sadly though, there is more trouble ahead. 

You can read the blurb and a book extract on the publisher page. And here is the author page. A Million Shades of Grey was published in 2010 but it is still available.  I also found this list of five middle grade novels also about the Vietnam War. If you select the label either Vietnam or Vietnam War from this post you will find some picture books that are well worth exploring too. 

A fascinating window into post–Vietnam War history and a wonderfully intimate character study. Kirkus

Though the setting might be unfamiliar to young readers, Kadohata does a good job describing it without overloading her narrative with political details. Y’Tin’s inner monologues make it easy to sympathize with his character and to understand the events in his life. ... some of the more violent scenes and allusions to war crimes might be difficult for readers ... Historical Novel Society

If you have students in your school studying the Vietnam War then this book should be added to their wide reading book list. It gives another perspective on that conflict and is set just after the US army have left and the North have begun their invasion. Reading this book (for ages 11+) will take some reading stamina because the action doesn't really kick in until around page 75.

If you are interested in reading other books about care of elephants and the special bond that forms between these huge creatures and humans look for these:

The Magician's Elephant

The what on earth institute of wonder

The Elephant in the Room

The Great Elephant Chase

Singing with elephants

The Girl who Stole an Elephant

I picked this book, A million Shades of Grey, in a library because I previously enjoy two other books by Cynthia Kadohata - Kira-Kira and Weedflower. A couple of years ago I read this one:

Half a world away

Christmas is coming to Australia - take time to read about the past

We have reached day ten of my twelve books of Christmas for 2021. 

My good friend from Kinderbookswitheverything suggested I should share this book with you as another title for my Australian Christmas books because it is a good one to follow-up to my WWII story from yesterday - The Angel with a Mouth-Organ. 

Early on Christmas morning the guns stop firing. A deathly silence creeps over the pitted and ruined landscape. A young soldier peers through a periscope over the top of the trench. Way out in no-man’sland, he sees a small red shape moving on the barbed wire. A brightly coloured robin is trapped. One wing is flapping helplessly. An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier, who risks his life to cross the no-man’s land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces, dug into their trenches. This moving picture book is a plea for compassion. Norman Jorgensen 

In Flanders Fields by Australian author Norman Jorgensen and Australian illustrator Brian Harrison-Lever is set at Christmas during World War I. The small robin is trapped in the barbed wire fence.  A young solider bravely ventures out of his trench over to the wire to free the bird. As he turns to return to his comrades he hears singing - Silent Night - sung in German and back safely in the trench his mates are singing the same song.

I am pleased to say this book from 2002 is still available and for a really good price. In Flanders Fields won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award in 2003. Here is a video of the whole book but I suggest you watch it without sound and read the text yourself. 

The title of this book is taken from the famous poem by Canadian John McCrae. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

Take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything and these companion reads:

Christmas in the Trenches

Shooting at the Stars

The Button War by Avi

I should have heeded the warning that came with this book that it was like Lord of the Flies. When I started this blog I said it would be for books I enjoyed reading. The Button War is a very powerful story and I think it will appeal to boys who might be reluctant readers so I am including it here even though it is a book that deeply disturbed me. I read it in one day but I had to keep stopping to take a breath as each horrible situation arose.

The term ego is one you could apply to this book. Jurek lives in poverty. His parents are dead. His sister is hostile. Jurek needs a forum where he feels powerful. Where he can be king. Jurek needs to feed his ego. For Jurek the perfect audience is a group of other boys. They are all aged twelve and live in a small village in Poland. The boys enjoy hanging out together around the town water pump but none of them feel able to stand up to Jurek and his cruel dares and regular taunting.

Jurek finds a button in the forest. He declares that he is the true King. Jurek sets the boys a dare to find a better button. In this new game Jurek says the "winner" will be their King but Jurek himself is determined to win at all costs, He keeps changing the rules. His main rival for leadership is Patryk. Patryk knows this button challenge is silly, then later he knows it is dangerous but he also needs to put an end to the power wielded by Jurek. He just cannot seem to find a way to stop all of this. He needs to find the best button.

It is 1914 and this small Polish village is caught up in the events of World War One. After finding his first button Jurek wants another. He decides the best prize would be a button from a Russian army uniform. The village has been invaded by Russian soldiers. Jurek's sister, in need of money, takes in their washing. Jurek takes a button from a coat on the clothes line late at night and then insists Patryk attempt this too.

Meanwhile the war is impacting the village. A German plane flies over head and drops a bomb on the school. German soldiers now invade their town forcing the Russians to retreat but the Russians don't run away they gather reinforcements and prepare for another battle to regain control of the village.

This is no longer just a game for a group of boys. It has now become very, very dangerous. The story began with seven boys. How many will be left at the end? Things now spin out of control with life and death consequences. I think this is a book for very mature readers 11+.

Read some reviews:

• Ms Yingling : "Intriguing"
• Postcards from Purgatory: "Riveting"
• Kirkus: "War ... is devastating"
• The Children's War: "Action-packed, exciting"

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this writing:

"I took another step. Once near the end of the bed, I sank to my knees. From there I reached out to the soldiers tunic, grasped a button with the fingers of my left hand, and pulled."

"In the middle of the area lay another soldier's body. He was all twisted, like a cloth doll that had been tossed away. He was on his back, face up, brown jacket in tatters, skin exposed, torn and bloody. I stared at him but didn't feel much emotion. I was getting used to the dead."

Take a look at Avi's web site. Here is an excellent video where Avi talks about the inspiration for this book and his own exploration of war buttons.

Here is the US cover.

The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood illustrated by David Watt

"Stories belong to the teller', says the bard. 'At least half of them do. The other part belongs to the listeners. When a good story is told to a good listener, the pair of them own it together."

"Stories aren't all about fighting and revenge,' says the bard. 'You have to have a bit of character development in there as well. Some suspense, some atmosphere. A little bit of romance."

Podkin is the son of Lopkin, the chieftain.  He has a sister called Paz and a brother called Pook. Life in Munbury longburrow is good and this is an especially happy night because it is Bramblemas eve and tomorrow there will be presents! Then, in the space of a few minutes, this warm scene explodes into one of violence and death. The Grom have arrived. They are after a small dagger called Starclaw. It is one of twelve special gifts given to the first tribes at the start of time.

Who are the Grom? Once they were small grey rabbits but something in the river got into their veins or perhaps they tunneled too far down and "came across something cursed and poisonous. ... They turned into something else. Something evil and unnatural."

Pod, Paz and little Pook are now on the run and it is winter, it is bitterly cold and while Starclaw is indeed a special weapon it is powerless against the metal bodies of the Grom.

The power of this writing comes from the atmosphere created by Kieran Larwood. You will see, hear, smell and touch every scene and person in this vividly created world.

It is the bard who tells this ancient tale. He has arrived on a different Bramblemas eve with a story to tell to the eager listeners in Thornwood warren.  It is an evening of storytelling, legends and turnip soup.

Here are some text extracts to give you a sense of this writing.

Scramashank the Gorm Lord "This wasn't a rabbit any more. If it ever had been, it was now something else entirely. A walking slab of metal and meat, pierced through with rusty thorns and nails. Its armour overlapped in sheets of jagged, dented iron; mottled with rust and splashes of dried crimson that looked very much like blood."

Lady Russet - she has been enslaved by Scramshank. "Before, she had been a plump, bristling bundle of life, with zinging fur, a bubbling giggle and eyes that sparkled like glimmers of summer sunlight. Now her skin hung off her face in folds. Lines of worry creased her brow; her eyes were hollow, haunted, red-rimmed, as if she'd been crying. Crying for a long, long time."

Bridgit's home.  Paz describes this wonderful place of safety and comfort where Podkin's wounded ear receives tender care. "She saw lots of clay pots and jars, all labelled in with neat Ogham writing, some overflowing with herbs and bulbs: wild garlic, rosemary, foxglove, rosehip and lots of mushrooms, like ink cap, blusher, penny bun, brittlegill and angel's bonnet." I was excited to discover these are all real mushroom names.


The Legend of Podkin One-Ear has been published with many different covers. Which one appeals to you?

You can listen to chapter one here.  Here is an interview with the author.  I would follow The Legend of Podkin One-Ear with Varjak Paw, Mouseheart, and the wonderful Redwall series by Brian Jacques. The evil Gorm that we meet in Podkin reminded me of the Creeps in Ollie's Odyssey.

The Legend of Podkin One-Ear was the winner of the Blue Peter Award in 2017.  Here is a set of reviews by young UK students and you can read other reviews with more plot details by clicking on the review quotes below.  I highly recommend The Legend of Podkin One-Ear - for me it is absolutely a ten out of ten book and I am rushing off to pick up the sequel - The Gift of Dark Hollow. The third installment (The Beasts of Grimheart) will arrive later this year.

An original fantasy with warrior rabbits, fierce foes, sibling loyalty, riveting adventure, and genuine storytelling.  Kirkus

A wonderfully told tale of adventure and adversity, packed with courage, heart and hope. Kieran Larwood has created a rich fantasy world in a time long after humans have left the world, complete with it’s own religions, superstitions and traditions.  Miss Cleveland is reading

Shooting at the stars the Christmas Truce of 1914 by John Hendrix

"Every man on the front, no matter what his uniform, was cold, fearful, and with out hope of returning home anytime soon. Although these soldiers were at war and spoke different languages, the English, French, and Germans shared much - songs, faith, and a deep love of Christmas. This is the true story of what happened one cold winter evening."

This is the perfect to pair with Christmas in the Trenches and with the anniversary of the end of WWI next year I am sure there will be renewed interest in books set at that time. This pair of books are also good to share at Christmas with older students - giving them a different and important perspective about war.

Shooting at the stars takes the form of  a letter written in a rough hand printed style.  "Was I really finishing school only a few month ago?"  The young soldier, Charlie, describes the trenches, the rain, the mud and the rats. Then he goes on to talk about Christmas eve 1914.  "When we stepped outdoors we heard the sounds of singing."

"I didn't know what was happening, but it wasn't war! For one glorious Christmas morning, war had taken a holiday."  And so the men bury their dead, talk to each other, take photographs and exchange small gifts.

Even though they were ordered back to the fighting and events like this were never repeated.  You can read more here on the BBC web site.  Also in this book you will find detailed historical notes and an excellent prologue which sets the scene.

Charlie writes :

"Altogether it was splendid day with our foes. Tomorrow I suppose we will all fight for our countries. And when the major returns we will have to follow his orders. But I suspect our side will spend the rest of the night aiming high above their trenches, shooting at the stars."

Here is a review where you can see some of the excellent art from this book.  Take a look at the author/illustrator web site to see more of his books.  Here is a set of teaching ideas to extend your students' understanding of these events.

Timed with the centenary of World War I but a lesson for always, Hendrix’s tale pulls young readers close and shows the human side of war.  Kirkus