Yonder is a book set in a small town during World War II. It tackles subjects like racism, prejudice, and heroism. Danny makes a friend out of Jack an older boy. He hero worships Jack and when Jack disappears Danny is desperate to find him.

This is a great book for kids. It shows them what it was like to be at home during the war. A lot of the older brothers and dads have gone and the people left are having to deal with big emotions about what that means. Danny’s own dad is gone and while he never really confronts that directly, he confronts it through how he deals with the situations he sees around him. We also see the roles that women and others who were left behind got to play towards the war effort. We even see the kids collecting scrap metal to further the war effort.

In the book, Danny’s friend Jack disappears. When Jack disappears, you are led to assume that his dad is responsible. This might be hard for some readers as it is an abusive situation. It opens the door for a lot of discussion on how abuse was handled back then and how we do a lot better (not great still) today. Jack’s disappearance is more about Danny than it is about Jack. How he reacts and feels about it is very heightened due to his own father being gone at the war.

The very reason that Danny and Jack are friends is another great topic covered by this book. A bully brought them together as Jack stepped in when Danny was getting hurt. Bullying is a huge topic these days. Jack’s help with Danny’s bully really difused the situation and helped reduce the incidents of bullying. While today’s bullies are different, much more verbal than physical, the effects are still the same. Danny feels a lot of fear and shame over the bullying.

The book goes into some details on the concentration camps, but pretty much from the stance of how it was initially swept under the rug by people not terrible details about what happened in them. It is interesting how people didn’t want to talk about it or what was really happening in Germany. It is also interesting how Danny finds out in snippets from what he sees in the newspaper and he has to ask about it. I find that today kids are much more aware of what is going on globally. If that is good or bad is a separate debate!

When Danny finally finds Jack (spoiler), he is hiding to avoid the draft. It is an interesting dynamic because the reason Jack doesn’t want to go to war is pretty valid and it can lead to an examination of what the draft was like for some individuals. This turn of events in the book can also cause us to examine hero culture and what is really a hero. I think that is a great lesson for any age but especially for kids living in an age of Tik Tok and (less than) 15 minutes of fame.

The book overall was a good read. I do plan on having my boys read it when we get to WWII in history. We can always find books on what the war was like or battles, it is harder to find books on what it was like to be a child in a small town during the war.

Look out List

• Racism
• Prejudice
• Child Abuse
• Bullying

Book study available here: Book Study – Yonder